Overview
A key responsibility in electoral management is personnel appointment and training. Many of the
posts involved are specifically identified in laws and regulations. Commonly posts such as
- Electoral Commission Chairperson / Member
- Returning Officer
- Chief Electoral Officer
- Electoral Registration or Voter Registration Officer
- Polling Officer or Polling
Clerk or Poll Worker
- Counting Officer
are described in legislation, as are the duties which attach to these posts. Electoral law normally
includes clear disciplinary procedures and offences which apply to staff employed in the electoral
process, including how staff once appointed can be removed. All appointment documentation
should clearly describe the position, the duties associated with the position and the consequences
of not carrying out these duties in accordance with the law.
Features of Electoral Staff
Elections require very large numbers of staff, very few of whom are employed on elections on a
full time and permanent basis. Up to 250,000 people are used for general elections in Canada
(CA); in a single United Kingdom (GB) Parliamentary constituency (around 72,000 electors), up
to 350 staff would be employed on election day; and in South Africa (ZA) the general election
involves over 350,000 staff. One of the key features of electoral staff is therefore that many are
temporary and recruited from a variety of sources. The processes for appointment and training
need to take this feature into account and also consider the fact that any one of the numerous
temporary staff can make an error which has major repercussions for the electoral manager. The
appointment process should be carried out in a nonpartisan and objective manner and in
accordance with good personnel practice. The human resources area is a key one in any electoral
process and establishing clear guidelines and standards is essential. Working lengthy hours on a
polling site under considerable pressure and often in difficult conditions is not everyone's idea of
a good way to spend the day. Worldwide, changing demographics and the increasing number of
two earner families have reduced the number of people available to serve as poll workers. The
declining interest in civic service may also be a factor, as may be the increasing complexity of
the polling process and the demands put on poll workers. In many developing countries,
additionally, the high standards of literacy needed can cause difficulties.
Staff Structures
Before staff can be appointed, a clear description of what the job entails and what sort of person
will fill it needs to be prepared. Such preparation normally entails putting together some form of
overall structure of staff and responsibilities. In Bosnia/Herzegovina (BA) the Organisation for
Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) prepared an overall structure and then brief
outlines of duties for each of the senior staff involved (see Staff Structure/Job Descriptions - OSCE). In this case, the OSCE
started from scratch, which is both an advantage and disadvantage. Most electoral managers
come into a system which has considerable history in staff and structure terms. The
circumstances in Bosnia/Herzegovina were unique, but the manner in which the staff
responsibilities and structure was prepared can be a useful guide to overall staff issues.
The New Zealand (NZ) Election Commission prepares staffing profiles for each electoral official
- see Job Descriptions/Staff Profiles - New Zealand - and these outline that which is required of each staff member. No electoral
management system will work efficiently unless the staff know what their duties entail and there
is a clear management structure. Failure to have the right descriptions and structure either results
in two people doing the same task or nobody doing it. Either way problems are the result.
Finding Temporary Staff
Every electoral manager faces the same problems in recruiting temporary staff. This situation has
led to evaluation of additional ways of attracting poll workers, which include:
- Recruitment can be accomplished through current electoral staff. Good staff are one of the
best sources of more good staff. Staff are encouraged to recruit family and friends as poll
workers.
- A state can approach civic, religious, community, business or social organisations. Often
electoral officials are asked to speak at meetings of these organisations. Direct approaches can
also be made with leaflets outlining what is required.
- The media can be utilized
through direct advertising and press releases. This practice may also make people more aware of
the electoral process.
- Materials sent to voters, such as poll cards or sample ballots, can
be used to make people aware of the need for poll or registration workers.
- A direct
mail approach, inviting interested persons to telephone a named electoral official, has proved
effective in some USA states.
- Special employment groups, such as teachers and retired government employees, are two of
the largest groups of poll workers found in service in polling stations worldwide.
All the above may be described as traditional recruitment practices. Finding poll workers may be
very difficult or it can be relatively easy - it often depends on the financial rewards. In some
countries, poll workers are not paid, so penalties are imposed on those who are selected but fail
to turn up. Whilst some information exists on the comparative rates of pay worldwide, these
comparisons have limited relevance unless accompanied by a note of the hours of duty and the
type of work involved. It may, however, be reasonable to draw the conclusion that poll workers
generally are not particularly well rewarded. As a result, the time and effort spent in recruitment
is a major part of the electoral workload.
The International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) has drawn together some
non-traditional practices for appointing poll workers and these include:
- Service by Young People - The State of Hawaii has enacted legislation allowing young
people to serve as poll workers. The results were encouraging with many of the young people
being rated as outstanding. Nevada has passed similar legislation. This service is also a way of
involving young people directly in the democratic process and enabling them to earn some
money.
- Requirement to Serve - A process similar to a jury summons is used to require people to
undertake poll worker duties. One USA county got half its poll workers from this source.
- Volunteer Organisations - Charitable groups supply their members as poll workers and in
return the payments are made to the charity concerned.
- Businesses - Large businesses
are enlisted to encourage their employees to serve. Given sufficient numbers on site, training can
be held.
- Appealing to the Volunteer Spirit - Simple appeals can be made to people to assist with the
process, explained through such themes as 'Democracy Needs You.'
Every administrator would like a pool of well-trained and qualified staff. If that pool is not
available then the options listed above should enable the administer to fill it. New or
inexperienced staff, however, often require extensive training and instruction programmes.
Discipline and Offences
However good the appointment system and training processes, there will always be some staff
who do not carry out their duties to the required standard. The electoral law, therefore, must
include provisions for the standards of conduct of staff and for their removal if appropriate. The
law sets out offences which can apply to various categories of people involved in the electoral
process and some of these apply to staff. The most common example is the requirement for
secrecy.
Reasons for dismissal of electoral staff would include:
- misconduct;
- support for or involvement with a political party or candidate;
- not undertaking
duties to the required standard.
The appointment process should make the disciplinary code and the electoral offences
prescribed in the law quite clear to staff.
Electoral Associations and Groups
Important resources for training purposes are publications and associations. Many organisations
have members with responsibility for electoral management, who take a leading role in the
training of staff. These organizations include the Association of Electoral Administrators in the
United Kingdom (GB), the International Association of Clerks, Recorders, Election Officials and
Treasurers (IACREOT) in the United States of America (US), the Association of Central and
Eastern European Election Officials, the Association of Asian Election Authorities, the
Caribbean Election Network Conference and the Association of African Election Authorities.
IFES maintains a directory of election associations and officers. Even though each national
election law is unique, many of the issues and problems involved in organising elections are
common; thus, membership in an association which includes other electoral managers is a
training benefit itself because it allows exchange of information and good practice ideas. These
associations normally publish information of current interest on electoral problems and practices.
These publications are an inexpensive way for the electoral manager to keep up to date on
national developments and the best practices.
Training
Training is essential for permanent and temporary staff. There are a variety of ways of providing
training, which are examined in see Training Programme, External Training Opportunities and Internal Training Opportunities. Training programmes
for permanent staff need to reflect the career development potential of those staff and meet the
training needs, which are best identified in staff performance and review interviews.
Programmes also need to be prepared to cover changes in legislation or working practices and for
the introduction of new technology or processes.
The position with temporary staff is usually more simple. They are likely to undertake a specific
electoral task, such as vote counting or working at a polling site, so training can be targeted to
this task and the timing of the training can be fixed so as to ensure the impact covers the electoral
process period. As with all training, there should be continual review and feedback on the
effectiveness of the training programme and the extent to which it is achieving the desired
objective. A quality, well-delivered and interesting training session at the right time will inspire
and motivate electoral staff; a dull and poorly prepared session will have the opposite effect. If
the trainers are not keen, well presented and knowledgeable, how can the electoral staff benefit?
Training for Consistency
Electoral processes are governed by law and the application of the law must be consistent. This
idea alone is sufficient reason for a major training programme. The need for consistency of
decisions is a thread which should run through and be an integral part of the programme. Not all
electoral decisions are clear cut, however. One area which frequently causes controversy is
whether a ballot paper should be declared invalid or not. The decision is difficult enough with
proper training; without it, the electoral manager may find that two members of the staff faced
with the same markings on a ballot paper have made different decisions at different count
centres. The training programme should be designed to ensure this problem does not occur.
Training for consistency is one way of doing so. In any cascade training system, areas where this
type of problem can occur should be highlighted and the correct approach stressed..
For further information see Voting Operations Staffing Profiles Recruitment and Training of Voting Operations Staff.
