An election is a structured event made up of a sequence of tasks leading to the announcement of
the successful party or candidates. The timetable of this event has many layers, and the calendar
leading to the conclusion may well comprise two distinct elements:
- the timetable imposed by legislation, which is the overarching organisational
framework
- the detailed administrative calendar that provides the key working milestones and tasks that
must be completed to ensure the election takes place in an organised way.
The guiding principle (see Guiding Principles) that election administration should be transparent indicates
that a calendar should be available to the key participants, including all workers, political
parties, candidates, nongovernment organisations (NGOs), and agents. The calendar should also
be publicised in ways that will make it, in a general sense, familiar to voters.
The general calendar should be a public one with key activities and dates for completion clearly
identified. The internal calendar with key tasks allocated to electoral management personnel
need not be made public but should be understood by all those directly involved in ensuring its
implementation. Russian Federation Election Calendar Quick Reference Guide., Russian Federation Election Calendar Plan, Diary of Duties of Returning Officer - Canada,Elections Canada Election Calendar,
Briefing Notes - United Kingdom and 1995 Election Action Plan - United Kingdom give indications of how the calendar is used in a number of
countries and the degrees of sophistication that this element of electoral management has
achieved.
The calendar may be developed through a number of proprietary software packages or project
planning methodologies. A computerised calendar on its own would be unlikely to justify
expenditure on the necessary software and hardware. Linked to software that can significantly
improve the administration of elections, it can give added value.
Many factors will influence the nature of the calendar. An important point to consider is that a
calendar set with long enough lead times will generally assist in keeping down procurement
costs. Forward planning is an essential tool of an election manager.
In the U.K., there is not a single unified calendar readily available in one summarised piece of
legislation. Key dates are dispersed through a number of statutes that are assembled together
by the election manager at the time of an election. This has the effect of making the task of the
election manager more complicated than really necessary and adds a certain degree of mystery to
the process. A clear understanding of the requirements, then, is inaccessible to people who may
wish to participate.
Should there be any slippage or failure to meet the time scales, all the key participants in the
process should be notified, informed of the reasons for the delay, and provided with a revised
timetable.
