Opening Statement
Simplicity, advance planning, an appropriate choice of materials, and security and
cost-effectiveness in materials management are the keys to successful material supply for
elections.
Well-managed material supply is an essential element of transparent, secure electoral processes.
Inadequate or inappropriate materials may result in confusion on polling day and erode voter
confidence; sloppy material handling can jeopardise the credibility of election results.
Although there is a wide range of materials available in the market place, consideration must be
given to the infrastructure in a given country to distribute, use, service and store election
materials. If it is not possible to retrieve and securely store steel ballot boxes or sophisticated
tabulating equipment, it is unnecessary and wasteful to purchase such items. Supplies that
support secure, transparent election processes can be purchased on limited budgets. One example
is that dark or heavy fabric and a couple of nails can be used to provide a privacy screen. Another
is that in Canada and Australia, corrugated, re-cycled cardboard ballot boxes and voting booths
are commonly used as these are inexpensive, disposable and support transparent processes. The
security features available for such materials ensure that it is very clear if any tampering has
taken place. See Cardboard Ballot Box (Security) - Canada.
The conditions attached to donor funding, and the practises of donors in financing material
supply, frequently force electoral managers to procure in specific countries or from specific
suppliers. A code of ethics should be adopted by the donor community to encourage transparent
procurement and allow electoral managers to obtain the best price for the best product locally or
on the international market.
Summary of Key Concepts
Successful, cost-effective material supply requires:
- strategic planning that links material supply to the overall electoral planning process, and
establishes milestones and systems to monitor and control all phases of procurement, inventory,
distribution and recovery;
- advance planning in procurement, to allow for cost-effective national and international
sourcing and shipping;
- detailed specification of materials in consideration of the local environment, special needs
and budget limitations;
- selection of effective security features for control of sensitive materials and to ensure the
secrecy of the vote (these features should be appropriate to the context - no need for color
shifting print if there are no color copiers available);
- estimates of quantity based on the
most accurate census or voter registration information available;
- links to the legislative framework for elections, to ensure that material selection and logistics
respect legal requirements but also to offer the possibility of revising electoral law for purposes
of improving the choice of materials as well as the security and transparency of materials
management;
- procurement and distribution plans that are linked to training of election officials and voter
education;
- marshalling all supplies at a central location for inspection and the assembly of
comprehensive supply kits;
- use of the supply kit method for distribution of materials, in order to increase the efficiency
of material supply and facilitate control of sensitive materials in particular;
- simple
procedures for materials management, including a tracking system designed to produce a clear
audit trail, and clear handling instructions for the proper use and storage of materials.
For further information see Materials and Equipment.
