Appropriate Role for International Assistance
The growing trend towards international assistance for elections further emphasises the key issue of sustainability, that is, how best to use local resources and any available international assistance to develop a voting operations fabric that is self-regenerating for future elections.
Many sustainability issues are as relevant to countries at a higher stage of development emerging from less democratic regimes as they are to less developed countries. International political agendas may lead to an election, particularly where a transition to democracy is involved, becoming aid donors' flavour of the month, with no guarantee of future assistance due to changing priorities for donor assistance and donor neglect.
Typically such elections will involve large influxes of both monetary and technical assistance in a relatively short and unrealistic voting operations timetable. This is often the result of using an election as the primary conflict resolution mechanism. The short period involved will often lead to the imposition of high-cost solutions that are not locally sustainable. It may lead to raised expectations from the community for all state operations that cannot possibly be met, as well as opportunities for corruption.
Rather than imposing high-cost and unsustainable 'perfect' solutions from external environments or organisations, the key to developing long-term effective voting operations solutions in less developed or transitional societies is in
- providing assistance attuned to the local environment's needs that promotes the growth of local capabilities;
- accepting that these may not initially produce altogether perfect results.
Opportunities for Development
The voting operations aspects of elections offer a number of opportunities for increasing local capacities in less developed countries. Implementation of voting operations systems and methods without thought as to whether a local skill base has been developed to allow them to be maintained and operated for other functions or future elections is wasteful use of scarce resources.
There are some basic guidelines that, if followed, can maximise sustainable benefits:
Use any available technical assistance programs for voting operations in long-term skills transfer projects, rather than as short-term operational staff substitutes. Without such skill transfer, there will be a continuing need for assistance at future elections.
Skills transfer should aim at covering a broader area than just technical matters. The inclusion of staff at local levels in generic skills training in general management, basic accounting and finance, equipment maintenance and operation, ethical conduct and the like--all integral to voting operations--is of continual community benefit.
Less technologically intensive methods, particularly if aimed at inclusion of previously excluded members of society, can produce broad-based positive effects. Only where necessary for election integrity or performance should methods other than those that are simple, easily trainable and able to be applied under conditions of lower technology and resource bases be used.
Consider whether equipment and systems introduced for voting operations can have continued community use. Can communications systems be operated on a continuing basis for the benefit of the community? Is the investment in technological equipment and methods justified by its being suitable for integration with or augmentation of existing systems? Can the technology be used for implementation of other social programs? Acquiring equipment and technology for sole and infrequent use at elections can be a poor investment when resources in general are limited.
When considering appropriate equipment and technologies, consider how much of a technological leap is involved. Local maintenance expertise (either existing or specifically trained) must be available for effective future use.
Consider carefully how real are the benefits of foreign procurement. Are any immediate technological, cost or quality benefits sufficient to outweigh the resource-building effects of developing local facilities and capabilities?
When implementing voting operations methods, first have a skill maintenance plan. If equipment is mothballed between elections, skills gained, and the use of the equipment for other functions, will be lost. If staff employed in voting operations have no continuing framework in which to practise their skills, or communication with voting operations management, the expense of training will be of limited benefit to the community at large.
