Chief Electoral Officer
The type of staffing arrangements used to facilitate the work of the national election body will
depend on the temporary model used (see Regional and Local Election Bodies). An independent body may use temporary
staff recruited for the specific purpose of assisting the members of the election body. A judicial
or government ministry model may have the luxury of being able to second civil servants from
their normal duties to assist the national electoral body on a temporary or permanent basis.
Whatever the model, it is clear that there needs to be appointed a chief electoral officer (CEO),
who has the role of carrying out the decisions of the national election body, if there is one, and
who is assisted by a staff organized in a way that is structured to facilitate the efficient discharge
of their duties.
In the Commonwealth of Dominica, the chief electoral officer is appointed by the president
following consultation with the national electoral commission. In Uganda, the Interim Electoral
Commission has an active chairman who oversees administrative arrangements and is assisted
by a team of officers and employees with responsibilities for many aspects of the electoral
process.
The chief electoral officer should be a judge, senior lawyer, top civil servant, some other top
professional, or an individual with a wealth of experience in the field of elections. The person
appointed to the position should be known for their personal integrity and leadership capability.
Although there have been cases where the individual was not a citizen of the country for which
they were working, it is more likely that the constitution or electoral law would prevent a
foreigner from occupying this highly sensitive position. Whoever the CEO is, the person should
have finely-tuned management and political skills, and the first job should be to review or
introduce a management structure that reflects the particular needs of the country in delivering
effective electoral administration.
Structure of Staff
Any structure should have regard to the separate and distinct functions undertaken prior to,
during and after the election. The structure should include
Logistics or Operations Division. responsible for the procurement and distribution of
election materials, identification of voting sites and the creation of timetables for the different
functions at election time.
Information Technology Division. responsible for planning and developing
computerised information systems for the national election body when such technology is to be
used. There may be funding constraints, and it needs to be borne in mind that state-of-the-art
equipment may not be necessary or even suitable in some developing democracies. It is
important that this division be up-to-date with the latest technological advancements and that
staff be qualified and experienced. Computerized voter registration systems, computerized
voting and counting systems, electronic transmission of results, and in remote areas,
high-frequency radio transmission of results should all be on the agenda for this division.
Personnel Division. responsible for the recruitment and training of election staff
centrally and throughout the country.
Finance Division. responsible for the production of timely budget estimates,
management of funds, making payments to suppliers and staff and reporting on the use of funds.
Legal Division. may be responsible for drafting new election laws and procedures and
interpreting the law for the national body to determine its position on legal challenges and
complaints.
Civic and Voter Education Division. useful in new or developing democracies and
particularly when changes in methods of voting or new election systems are introduced. This
division handles the design of posters and other civic and voter education material and delivers
programmes throughout the country via media, distribution of materials, production of videos or
touring theaters to get its message across.
There could also be a separate media office to handle relations with domestic and international
journalists, which could be parallel to voter education under a broader public information
division. In some cases, public information also publishes a newsletter and oversees a library or
research office. Some election bodies now also have international relations offices to handle
observer matters, requests for external assistance, and general relations with counterpart
organizations in other countries.
The type of staffing arrangements will be dependent on the model selected for the national
electoral body. It is clear that the chief electoral officer should be appointed at a level high
enough to attract the quality and experience required to carry out the functions of this important
position. This person should be appropriately graded, equivalent to a judge or senior civil
servant.
A temporary national election body will engage temporary staff. A permanent body has the
opportunity of employing permanent staff but may choose to use temporary staff or a suitable
mix of the two. It is recommended that permanent staff be supplemented by temporary staff at
peak periods of activity.
Each division will seek differing skills, such as lawyers and experienced executives for the legal
division, trainers and teachers for the civic and voter education division, accountants for the
finance division, computer professionals for the information technology division, and so forth.
The chief electoral officer will need to quickly appoint key staff to assist with recruitment of
other staff to the various positions in each of the divisions. Good employment practices should
be adopted, although it is recognised that this may not always be possible. Pay scales, conditions
of service, ordering of office equipment, office administration, petty cash, and so on, although
perhaps considered minor issues, all need to be put in place to contribute to the successful
organisation of the election administration process.
