Technology is not always the answer to every problem. While technology in many cases allows election processes to be run faster, more efficiently and more effectively, it can also be costly and fail to live up to expectations.
Manual, non-technological processes may still have their place in electoral administration. Manual processes may be cheaper, more transparent and less likely to fail than technological ones.
In some cases, use of technology simply may not be appropriate, given all the relevant circumstances. This will be particularly so where access to technology may not be widely available, and it would not be equitable to provide technology to some users (particularly voters) and not others. In other cases a technological solution might not be sustainable in the long term, or legislative barriers may prevent the adoption of technology.
Before adopting a technology based solution, electoral management bodies (EMBs) should first assess whether the proposed technology is suitable. After analysing the costs and benefits of the technology and the readiness of all the potential users of the technology, EMBs should be equipped to determine whether a technology based solution is the best path to choose.
For further detail, see;
Costs and Benefits of Technology
Readiness to Assimilate Technology
