Legal, Regulatory and Policy Frameworks
In order to ensure that voting operations are undertaken with integrity, equity to all voters and consistency in all voting locations, core issues of the voting framework need to be clearly defined in legislation. The balance between legal or regulatory constraints and issues that can be left to policy decisions of the electoral management body will vary in different environments. Particularly where electoral management control is fragmented, potentially subject to political influence, or inexperienced, greater emphasis will be needed on covering comprehensively the details of voting operations in governing legislation.
Generally speaking, the more issues left for electoral management body policy determination, the greater the flexibility of responses to meet changes in the environment. The greater the detail in legal or regulatory frameworks, the easier it may be to enforce consistency in voting operations.
(These issues are discussed further in Electoral Legislation, Administrative Regulations and Laws/Regulations/Policy.)
Voting Procedures
The procedures to be used for voting provide the operational focus for voting operations management. All other actions hinge on the need to ensure that these are implemented effectively. Basic requirements for voting procedures are that they:
- are sufficiently simple to be understood by voters;
- provide cost-effective accessibility to voting for all registered voters;
- are reliable and provide sufficient integrity to withstand challenge.
The mix of voting appropriate methods will vary in different environments. Apart from normal voting day procedures, implementation of various types of special voting facilities can assist participation for voters who, for example, are away from their electoral district of registration on voting day, are ill or infirm, or live in remote areas.
(Detailed information on voting procedures can be found in Voting Procedures and its linked articles, and on voting station operations in Voting Hours Operations, Close of Voting and their linked articles.)
Stability of Voting Frameworks
Changes in voting frameworks may be necessary to increase performance in relation to voting operations principles (see Guiding Principles) or to enhance efficiency or cost-effectiveness of administration. In some environments, where past electoral practices have been discriminatory or lacking in professionalism, integrity, security and accessibility for all voters, radical changes may be required. However, all changes to voting frameworks should be preceded by rigorous cost-benefit analysis. Care has to be taken that change is not introduced merely for the sake of change, particularly where there is the potential to confuse voters.
Significant advantages can be gained by maintaining some stability in the frameworks used for voting. Where these have a consistent basis from election to election, familiarity of polling officials and voters with the required procedures result in more effective voting operations.
Election Observation
Election observation by independent groups, either local or internationally-sponsored, and monitoring of election processes by representatives of parties and candidates aid transparency of voting operations and can assist in identifying errors, omissions and inequities in voting frameworks and their implementation.
Undertaking effective election observation is a task requiring intensive organisation in:
- determining the aims, scope and plans for observation (see Election Observation);
- defining requirements for and selecting suitable staff (see Observer Sources and Recruitment);
- planning and implementing the structure of observation groups and the activities and locations to be observed, so as to provide meaningful and reliable observation results (see Observer Deployment and Management of Observation);
- ensuring that observers are sufficiently trained (see Training for Observers) and that there is clear understanding on the part of observers, political participants in the election, election administrators and the host government of the observers' rights and responsibilities (see Observer Rights and Responsibilities);
- providing administrative and logistical support for observation teams that enables them to operate effectively (see Observer Logistics).
Use of Technology
Technology can be very seductive. There are a number of recent and not so recent technological developments--in printing techniques, new uses of materials and the exciting possibilities of computer applications and telecommunications links for voting--that can continue to expand the possibilities of voting operations. The expertise is in selecting reliable technological solutions that actually add value to the efforts of election administrators--solutions that are appropriate for the geographic, electoral and cultural environments and the support infrastructure and are not mere flashy toys. In many cases simpler, more old-fashioned solutions continue to be more cost-effective. (Discussion of some current issues in this regard can be found in Technological Applications.)
