As already recommended in the 2002 EOM mission report, a simplification and harmonization of the Ecuadorian electoral system (which includes open list system with panachage or preferential vote for candidates from different lists and, for the CA elections, had three different mechanisms of seat allocation) would be useful to enable voters to understand the system. The high number of invalid ballots indicates that the current systems may be too complex for many voters. A simplified system would also help reducing the number of human errors that took place in the counting process. And to adopt the same method to allocate seats in the same election is a means to ensure the “equality of chances”, regardless of constituencies, as international standards require.