In some countries considering introduction of new technology for electoral purposes, election management bodies (EMBs) may have the opportunity to seek funding from sources outside normal government channels. This will particularly apply where aid may be provided by other Governments or by Non-Government Organisations (NGOs).
In most of these cases acquisition of new technology may only be possible with external assistance, so the only available options may be to accept external funding or not proceed with the new technology. However, some issues need to be addressed when external funding is considered.
The certainty and timeliness of funding for new technology is crucial. Before committing to new technology, funding for the life of the project should be guaranteed, otherwise there is a risk that the technology will not be able to implemented successfully. Similarly, funding has to be available early enough in the election cycle to ensure that the technology can be selected, supplied and tested before an electoral event.
If external funding cannot provide these guarantees, EMBs run a significant risk in using them. In these cases, if the EMB decides the risks are worth taking, consideration should be given to ensuring that manual back-up processes are available to bring on-line should new technology fail.
In some cases external funding may come with 'strings attached'. That is, the external funding agencies may place conditions on the supply of funds, such as a requirement that a particular supplier, a particular product or a particular country of supply must be used. Any arrangements entered into as a result should not compromise an EMBs integrity either as a purchaser of goods and services or as an electoral authority. In addition, care should be taken to ensure that any such conditions do not restrict the EMBs ability to service, maintain and upgrade any technology adopted.
Foreign currency exchange rates may also have an impact on external assistance. Care should be taken to ensure that sufficient funds are available regardless of currency fluctuations.
