Basic Considerations
Technology can assist in the administration of voting operations. However, the issues raised in Technological Applications must be carefully borne in mind when considering, specifying, developing and implementing technology-based systems.
In using new technologies to develop systems for election operations administration or for voting, it is essential that they be
- suitable for the environment;
- carefully specified;
- subject to strict quality and cost controls;
- thoroughly tested under operational conditions, including, wherever possible, a period of parallel running, before implementation.
Staff Effectiveness
If the intended benefits of technology-based systems are to be realised, operating staff must receive thorough pre-implementation training. This is as true for changes to telephone networks and introduction of basic word processing facilities as it is for implementation of large, specialised computer systems. Familiarity with systems will assist performance. For example, recruiting polling staff who have already participated in the voter registration phase of an election accessed a pool of existing knowledge of the basic technologies being used.
Confidence
There are issues of confidence that need to be addressed when introducing new technological solutions. The voting public, election administrators and polling staff need to be confident that the systems implemented are reliable, secure and fulfil their information and service needs. Training and information on these issues is as important as training in the actual operation of technology-based systems.
Communications Systems
As a basic requirement, voting operations administration offices need to be linked to each other by communication systems--by phone, radio and, if at all possible, facsimile transmission--and these offices need to have voice communication facilities with voting stations under their control.
Use of computer technology for communications can speed the transfer of information, ensure its comparability and provide automatic monitoring. However, the installation of an electronic mail (e-mail) system between election administration offices through a Wide Area Network (WAN) has to be carefully considered in terms of cost-effectiveness, taking into account factors such as:
- what continuing use can be made of the equipment;
- the costs and method of acquisition (purchase or short-term lease);
- the skills upgrades (and their lasting effects) required for effective use;
- reliability and maintenance costs as compared to using other methods such as fax or regular ('snail') mail.
Similarly, computer communications may be effectively utilised in more developed societies as an efficient means of communication between voting operations administrators and voters. In areas of high computer ownership, alternative provision of voter information materials to voters or answers to queries by e-mail has been proven to be cost-effective. Provisions for lodging administrative requests from voters by e-mail, such as applications for absentee or mail ballots, when secured against misuse, can also be a low-cost method of improving voter service and increasing accessibility. Allowing electronic submission of required information from political participants, such as reports on party financing and expenditure, can also enhance administrative effectiveness.
Voting Methods
Introduction of technology-based methods of voting has significant implications for the administration of voting operations. Important management issues include:
Effects on administrative structure. Decisions will be required on whether centralised or distributed systems provide better guarantees of system performance and management structures that reflect the system architecture being implemented.
Communications liaison. Communications reliability and security is essential wherever voting information is to be electronically transferred from voting stations or individual voters to central or regional hubs.
Ability to provide system support. Implementing technology-based voting methods will require high levels of either in-house or contracted technical support.
Training for both voters and polling staff in the operation of technology-based voting methods.
Management Systems
Ranging from simple single-function spreadsheets to large integrated databases that manage all aspects of voting station administration, there are numerous applications for computer technology in voting operations management. Even the simplest systems can improve management capacities. Some sample applications are:
Automated payroll systems for polling staff. However, given the large staff volumes on a single pay run and the fact that payroll management is not a core business of election administrations, it may not be effective for such systems to be developed in-house. Contracting payroll services to other organisations may run the risk of swamping them with a volume of work which they may not be prepared for. In some environments, locally-drawn cash or cheques may still be the most effective payroll method.
Materials acquisition and inventory records. Maintenance of computerised inventory records can simplify ordering processes. It can also simplify much of the packaging and preparation of materials for despatch to voting stations, not only in accurately calculating materials requisitions, but in automatically printing packing lists and labels, despatch schedules and acknowledgment receipts, and reconciliation of materials schedules for use both in voting stations and on return of material.
Monitoring systems. Computerised monitoring programs allow easy analysis of the state of readiness and progress of voting operations preparations. Simple spreadsheet-based or database systems of this type can be of great use where there are large numbers of geographically dispersed administrative offices responsible for the prepation of local voting operations.
Staffing and training records. Maintaining even simple computer-based lists of polling staff, showing (where possible) updated contact information, experience, training received and an assessment of performance, can simplify the massive task of polling staff recruitment.
Geographic information systems (GIS). GIS software showing voting sites can assist in determining voting site locations and planning voting site logistics.
Budgets and expenditure control. Simple computer-based resource costing worksheets can allow comparability of resource bids and use in various locations and swift identification of areas of inefficiency, or probable insufficient resources. Maintaining computer-based global budget and expenditure records allows faster manipulation of available funding and expenditure trend analysis.
(For further discussion of the use of technology in administration of voting operations, see Automated Processes.)
