Holding an election can be a costly undertaking. Staff needs to be recruited, trained and
equipped. Offices need to be rented and set up. Voters, parties and candidates need to be
registered. Registration lists and ballots have to be printed and distributed to every polling site in
the country. Polling stations need to be opened and staffed. Votes must be collected and
counted. This requires personnel, communications, transportation, equipment, supplies, and
operating funds. (Information on developing an election budget can be found at Budgeting/finance).
There are several integrity issues involved with election funding, including:
Adequate Funding
Having enough funds to implement the elections according to the legal framework is a key factor
for election integrity. Not having enough funds can negatively affect almost every aspect of
election administration. It can mean not being able to afford transportation so the ballots or
registration materials are not distributed in time to meet the election date. It can mean not being
able to afford security mechanisms detailed in an election law- such as watermarked ballots with
serial numbered stubs. It can mean staff is underpaid, or unpaid, resulting in demonstrations or staff
holding voting registers or the election results hostage for back pay.
Good planning and systems can overcome many budget restraints, and there are cost-effective
solutions to many problems. However, good planning and systems still require enough funds so
the elections can meet its legal requirements.
Source of funds
The source of funds can be an integrity issue. The election management body is usually included
in the annual government budget and is supposed to be allocated enough funds to hold elections during election
years. Having an established budget, with funds available on a timely basis, provides the election
management body with the financial independence it needs to hold an election. In India, for
example, the Secretariat of the Commission has an independent budget, which is finalized directly
between the Election Commission and the Finance Ministry. The Finance Ministry generally
accepts the recommendations of the Commission for its budget. 112 Unfortunately, some
election management bodies, especially in less developed countries (LDCs), have to compete for
scarce government resources and may end up with an insufficient allocation of funds.
Sometimes, the electoral management body is allocated enough funds in the government budget,
but the funds are administered through a particular ministry or government office. This makes the
election management body dependent on that intermediary for its financial support. In the case of
the 1998 Cambodian legislative elections, the funds were allocated in the government budget but
were held by the Ministry of Finance and released on a piece meal basis, making it difficult for the
National Elections Committee to get established. Commissioners started the process by using
their salaries to cover running costs, such as paying electric bills and buying paper for the
photocopy machines.
The international community can also be a source of funding for countries undergoing a
democratic transition or for LDCs. Donor funding is usually conditioned on the holding of free
and fair elections and is tied to the funding cycle of each donor country. This can sometimes
result in problems in the timing for the availability of the funds. These issues are discussed in
more depth in Special Considerations in Countries in Transition.
In some systems, the election management body is also allowed to receive funds from other sources. Prominent citizens or
groups can make contributions. However, as accepting private
funding can lead to the perception that money buys influence, electoral managers can reduce misperceptions through disclosure and ensuring that the donor realizes that no special favours can be provided. In other systems, such as Thailand, this is prohibited by law. 113
Integrity problems caused by a lack of funds
Having adequate resources on a timely basis to run the elections is an important factor in the
independence of the electoral management body. The following are a few of the integrity
problems that can result from delayed or insufficient funding:
- cutting security and integrity safeguard mechanisms in order to save money-- such as
more not using serial numbers on voter registration cards or ballot stubs;
- using cut-rate transportation to distribute electoral materials which may not be as secure or
reliable as using their own vehicles or entering into a longer-term contract with a reputable firm;
using lower quality or inappropriate materials and vehicles that may not last through the
elections. In areas without paved roads, cheaper sedan cars may not be able to pass uneven rutted
roads, even in the dry season. Light duty photocopy machines or typewriters may not be able to
handle the volume of work required;
- lower performance and productivity from underpaid election workers, and reliability
problems from unpaid and underpaid election staff. Honest underpaid workers may need to
moonlight to make ends meet. This can result in a dramatic decrease in the number of hours
worked for the election management body. Dishonest underpaid workers can make up the
difference by charging user fees for their services or taking advantage of opportunities for graft;
and
- substandard physical security for polling, the campaign and other critical events. Election
security costs are often covered under a different budget, such as the police budget. However,
election security also costs money and a lack of funds here could mean that the police do not have
the transportation or communication systems needed to ensure a safe election. It could also mean that underpaid
security agents are also moonlighting at other jobs and so are unavailable for election
security.
Integrity problems caused by late funding
- how to keep unpaid staff working productively while they wait for back pay;
- having to delay implementing parts of the process, such as printing ballots, while waiting
for funds. This could cause a slip in the election date; and
- making sure expenses covered from borrowed money, or other pools of funds, are covered
when the funds do arrive. Some donor funds will not cover retroactive expenses so it is important
to know the conditions of each donor.
Mechanisms to address these problems
The following are some of the ways to address the problem of not having enough money, although finding
additional funding from overextended government coffers can be extremely difficult. Donors, as
well, are constrained by their own budget limitations and funding regulations.
