This section describes a number of steps that should be taken in order
to successfully automate
an election. In the United States, the Federal Election Commission has
produced a number of
reports that include extensive guidelines for computerising
elections.36
System Selection
Once a thorough needs assessment is performed, the process of system
selection can begin.
Election officials should determine the type of system they want and
determine which systems
offered by commercial vendors best meet their needs.37 They
should also decide how
much of the design and implementation they want to do in-house and how
much they want to out
source. They should write a detailed call for proposals inviting
vendors to bid on contracts to
provide the needed equipment, software, and services. It is important
that the call for proposals
adequately represents the election needs, without being so restrictive
as to be practically
impossible to fulfill.
Testing
Once a system is selected and the hardware and software are delivered,
the system should be
thoroughly tested. Tests should be conducted by the vendor and by an
independent test
authority. Final tests should be conducted in the presence of all
interested parties to ensure
everyone's confidence in the system.
Tests should include an in-depth examination of all software to be used,
hardware reliability and
durability, and simulated elections to verify that correct election
results are produced. Before
each election, systems should be tested to make sure they have been
properly configured
for the election at hand.
Contingency Planning
Contingency plans should be made in the event of system failures due to
computer malfunctions,
power or telecommunications failures, and unforeseen events. Emergency
generators, battery
backups, and manual backup systems should be available, and spare parts
should be on hand.
These recommonendations might sound obvious, but it is not always the case, which the Norwegian electorate experienced few years ago when the new technique could not handle the amount of data and no back-up system was in place. Voters in Venezuela have also experienced postponed elections due to malfunctioning voting equipement, or upgrades that were not done on time.
Training
All staff and volunteers who will be running the election must be
trained in how to operate the
components of the system that they are responsible for, and what to do
if the system fails. In
addition, extensive voter training may be necessary when a new voting
system is introduced.
Staff training may be provided by the supplier of the equipment or
software if contracts are
written to require it. Training provided by suppliers has the advantage
that the trainers should
know the product extremely well. However, it may be more expensive than
other training
methods. Likewise, depending on the type of training needed, training
may be provided by
specialist training companies. These companies may offer courses that
your staff may attend, or
they may be able to send a trainer to your site. Training companies,
however, are often
expensive as well. Generally the least expensive way to train is to pay
the supplier or a training
company to train a small number of your staff. These staff members can
then train the
remainder of your staff. However, the overarching requirement must be that every staff member taking part in this operation must be properly trained. If this requirement cannot be guaranteed, then the likelihood of voters being disenfranchised on polling day due to incorrect information or technical difficulties is grave. Should this become a widespread phenomenon, then the legitimacy of the election could be jeopardized.
