A Key Responsibility
Elections are costly. A key responsibility of the electoral manager is dealing with the financing
and cost aspects of electoral processes. Costs affect every part of the electoral manager`s work.
Proper budgets need to be prepared and the authority responsible for meeting the costs advised of
the likely outcome. The electoral law will lay down to a substantial degree the processes to be
followed in terms of the way the electoral activity is conducted. The manager, of course, should
still ensure that all work is carried out in the most cost effective manner in accordance with the
law. Elections, voter registration and the other aspects of elections are a worldwide activity.
There is plenty of scope for comparing cost and seeking out the most effective use of resources.
The electoral manager should look critically at each stage of the electoral process and assess
what scope there is for cost savings. Can the activity be outsourced? for example the delivery of
equipment to polling sites or the input of data into an automated system. The electoral manager`s
responsibility is to ensure the tasks are carried out - not to try and carry out every task from his or
her own staff resources.
Involving citizens in the electoral process might increase their awareness and support and save
money. Electoral managers must make the budget-holding authority aware of their needs -
finacial, personnel, equipment and often most important of all the need for sufficent time to carry
out the required tasks correctly.
Budget Sources
Where does the money come from? Electoral costs can be met from a variety of sources. In some
cases, most costs are met at the national level. This payment method is particularly common
where there is a national electoral commission. In other cases, the responsibility rests at different
levels depending on the type of electoral process. In the United Kingdom (GB) the costs of
national Parliamentary elections are paid from the national government budgets, but each
separate tier of government is responsible for its own election costs. An English county council
would pay for its own electoral costs as would an English district council and so on, but all voter
registration costs are met at local council level - they are not a national expense.
The problem with this type of arrangement is that the electoral manager is not directly in charge
of the budget and has to obtain approvals and work within the sums of money allocated. One
year`s electoral work may involve getting approval from 3 or 4 different sources of funding. A
key responsibility is therefore to ensure that the process can be run in a manner that complies
with the national law and regulations but also falls within the approved budget.
Other Assistance
The electoral manager may be able to call upon or require assistance from other national
organisations. It is common practice for public and sometimes private buildings to be
requisitioned for use as polling sites. Also, the electoral law may provide that the electoral
manager can use the services of, for example, local council staff to assist with electoral tasks.
The situation can be further complicated when different persons are responsible for different
parts of the same electoral process. It is quite common in Eastern European elections for the
mayor or local council to be responsible for the preparation of the voters lists and the setting up
of the polling sites while the electoral commissions are responsible for the rest of the election
process. This division makes the work of the electoral manager easier because his or her
responsibilities do not include these two key parts of the electoral process but also much harder
with respect to establishing the overall cost of the process.
Free use of the postal service is prescribed by some electoral laws.
Electoral Budgets
Most electoral budgets include the same types of information. A typical budget would cover
costs of:
- permanent staff
- temporary staff including poll workers
- advertising, public and voter information and public relations
- printing and
copying (including provision of ballot papers)
- computers and automation
- provision of polling sites and polling site equipment
- absentee balloting
- transportation of staff and equipment
- offices and storage
- training
In some cases the electoral manager will not need to obtain the approval of any external
organisation for the electoral budgets and costs. Under most systems, however, the manager will
need to submit budgets for approval. Preparing budgets on a consistent basis is important if
elections are being organised on a devolved basis but with central funding of costs. Elections
Canada prepares detailed loose leaf manuals for the local returning officers, which set out in
detail how financial issues are to be addressed. For information as to the content of the manual,
see Federal Election Commission Costs - Australia. While the detailed forms and content are relevant primarily to Canada (CA),
the list of budget areas and forms outline the type of systems and budget heads that are
appropriate in a comprehensive electoral budget.
How much do elections cost?
Information about what elections cost is frequently requested and an important part of the
budgeting process is being able to give details of the costs of the electoral process and to justify
the levels of expenditure involved.
Comparison of costs on an international basis is difficult because methods of organisation vary
greatly from country to country and so do costs of materials and services. The Australian
Electoral Commission put their costs per elector at $4.76 (Australian) for the 1996 federal
elections 17. Because they keep accurate and continuing records of each election, they
have an excellent database from which to compare costs, analyse trends in expenditure and
identify areas for investigation. For a copy of the 1996 Federal Election Costs, see Elections Canada Finance Manual Extract.
St. Louis County (US) published an at-a-glance statement of their election costs - see
Summary of Election Costs - USA - that shows not only the overall budget but also the cost per ballot cast, which over
a six year period ranges from $1.93 to $2.68. This type of information is particularly useful; it
shows at a glance how costs are changing. The electoral manager, by reference to turnout and
other factors, can then justify changes in expenditure. Cost per ballot is a better measure where
elections are run on similar lines - same numbers of polling sites, candidates and ballots, for
example. The costs per ballot can be considerably distorted by variations in elector turnout.
The overall budget for the Mozambique elections in 1994 amounted to $64,469,000 (see
Summary of Electoral Process Costs - Mozambique). This amount was for elections in difficult circumstances. Some of the figures are,
however, quite interesting. It is particularly interesting that approximately 10% of the budget
was spent on training and around 5% on civic education. The total costs worked out at just under
$12 (US) for each vote cast.
Different Budget Considerations
The skills of and responsibilities on the electoral manager will vary greatly depending on the
type of process. Preparing the annual budget for voter registration in a United Kingdom (GB)
Council area where there is little change in numbers year on year requires very little time or skill.
The costs do not vary greatly but they should still be looked at critically. A typical budget for
approximately 100,000 electors would be around ú50,000, or 50p per elector. Preparing the
budget for the Mozambique (MZ) elections referred to above is an entirely different matter - the
numbers are very large (nearly $65,000,000) and the range of items to be included in the budget
is immense. For this type of election, specialist help from accountants and procurement staff is
essential.
