Today, while the use of manually counted paper ballots is still the most common method of voting, automated methods of voting and vote counting are becoming more accessible and effective.
Technology has the potential to dramatically improve the vote counting process. It can be cheaper, faster, and more accurate than manual counting. It can also improve the democratic process by making complex electoral systems easier to use.
Using Technology to Assist Manual Vote Counting
Computing technology is often used to count the results of manual ballot counts, to produce summaries at the counting centre, and regional, or national level. Standard off-the-shelf office software products, such as spreadsheet or relational database software, can be used to aggregate individual counts and produce summary totals and various reports, either in paper or electronic format.
Computer vote counting systems require care to function correctly. Faulty calculations, data entry errors, or loss of data can seriously compromise the conduct of an election. Rigorous testing is necessary to ensure election systems work flawlessly before they are placed in production, even if they are to be used only to compile preliminary results, or used only for a short time.
Data entry forms should be designed to minimize error and to facilitate the data entry process. It is common practice to design data input forms so that they mirror the data entry screen. Training of persons who manually complete these forms must stress the importance of legibility and arithmetic accuracy.
As with any vote counting process, it is crucial that checks and balances be built into any computerized counting system. Clear audit trails should be in place to track the progress of the count. Balancing figures should be used to check that output results are consistent with inputs. For example, it should not be possible to calculate a total vote figure for any level of counting that is higher than the number of ballot papers issued to voters at that level.
Data entered into a vote counting system should always be checked against the original input data. This can be done by checking figures after data entry against the input documents, or by entering each set of data twice, using different operators.
Contingency plans should also be built into any computerized vote counting system. Data should be regularly backed up (and stored off-site if the counting proceeds for some time). Spare hardware should be available in case of hardware failure. Where a network server is used, it is common to have a mirror server set up that can take over if the main server fails. Technicians should be on hand if problems arise. Back up power supplies should be available to guard against power failure, even in the most developed countries. Power supplies should be protected against power surges that can corrupt or destroy computer files. Even simple steps, such as regularly saving live data from RAM memory to hard disk, are sometimes overlooked, and can cause serious problems.
Worst case scenarios should also be anticipated. It is wise to be able to switch to a completely manual operation if the computer system fails and cannot be recovered. Portable calculators are valuable emergency devices.
Technology for Voting and Counting Processes
Technological approaches can be used to replace traditional paper ballots entirely. Voting directly using mechanical or electronic devices, or using machine-readable ballots, can eliminate the need to count ballots manually and greatly speed the counting process.
Over the last thirty years, various voting machines have been developed using the available technology. In the 1950s and 1960s, punch-card machine systems were developed. Voters punched cards (with a supplied punch device) opposite the candidates' names they selected. The cards were placed into a sealed ballot box and, after the polls closed, tabulated by card counters. 1
In the 1970s, optical-scanners or Optical Mark Reading (OMR) systems were developed. Using this system, voters make a mark on a paper ballot to indicate their choice of candidate or issue. A scanning device 'reads' the marked entries and calculates vote totals. These systems can count ballots as they are deposited, or count ballots only after the polls close. 2
More recently, a new type of system, called the Direct Recording Electronic (DRE) voting system has been developed. This system records votes by means of a ballot display provided via mechanical or electro-optical devices that can be activated by the voter. Once the voter has made his ballot selections, the device processes the data with a computer program, and records voting data and ballot images into internal memory devices. It can produce a tabulation of the voting data as a hard copy printout, or store it in a removable memory device.
Telephone voting is a variation on the DRE system, where the telephone is used by the voter to record his vote. This system removes the need for polling stations. By calling a specific phone number, the voter authenticates his identity by entering a Personal Identification Number (PIN) on the key pad of the telephone. The PIN is used to confirm the voter's eligibility and presence on the voters' list. Prompted by a computer-synthesized voice, the voter enters his choice by pressing a key corresponding to the candidate, party, or option they wish to vote for. Once this step is completed, the computer asks the voter to confirm his choice. The voting results are stored in a computing device (or multiple devices) linked to the telephone network. Results can be instantly counted once voting closes.
Technology and Complex Electoral Systems
Voting directly, using mechanical or electronic devices, or machine-readable ballots, is relatively straightforward where simple electoral systems are used, such as first past the post or list systems. In these cases, voters are able to indicate their choices in a relatively simple way, for example, by making one mark or pulling one lever.
It is more difficult to use these methods in complex electoral systems that permit many multiple choice responses, or require candidates or parties to be ranked in numerical preference. As technology improves, it is likely that effective methods will be available to meet the needs of these systems. However, mechanical or electronic devices that cater for complex systems are not yet in widespread use.
A compromise solution currently in use is to continue to use ordinary paper ballots, and to employ data entry operators to input all the valid marks made by voters into a database. A computer program then takes the raw data and performs the necessary calculations to arrive at an election result. This system eliminates the need to manually count or sort ballot papers, and can be faster and more accurate than manual counting.
Deciding to Use Technology
Before deciding to implement a computerized voting and/or counting system, an electoral management body might consider these questions:
- Is it difficult to recruit qualified poll workers?
- Have we had problems with irregular vote counts?
- Do we want to reduce the number of election workers?
- Is our ballot becoming more complex?
- Is our vote count coming in too slowly?
- Do voters have to wait too long to cast their ballot?
If the answer is yes to most of these questions, it may be worth studying the costs and benefits of a machine based voting system. 3
However, these drawbacks should also be considered:
- The cost of acquiring the hardware, software, and technical support needed for machine-based voting may be prohibitive.
- Election officials and voters will need specific training programs on the use of the system/machine.
- Technological support will be required for every electoral event, and may come only from the system vendor, possibly from abroad, and at high cost.
- As paper ballots disappear, voters' and candidates' confidence in the system may also decrease.
- Absentee ballots may still need a separate voting and counting system.
- Maintenance and storage costs may be onerous.
- Voting technology is still evolving rapidly and any system purchased may be obsolete within a few years.
- Environmental factors, such as humidity, may not allow machines to operate properly.
Technology to Communicate Results
Some jurisdictions have experimented with communication systems that use computer-assisted technology, where the poll official enters the poll results on the key pad of a telephone when prompted by a results-counting computer located at a remote centre. A paper-based balloting system and manual counting procedure are still used; automation is limited to the communication and collection of results from polling stations.
Using this system, the poll official dials a specific phone number and, prompted by a synthesized voice, enters his PIN provided by the electoral management body on the telephone key pad. Once the computer confirms the validity of the PIN, its synthesized voice asks the poll official to enter the district and polling station code. The computer's voice then lists the candidates' names in the order they appeared on the ballot. At the end of each name, the poll official enters on the key pad the number of ballots cast for the candidate. The synthesized voice repeats the numbers entered and asks the poll official to confirm the numbers by pressing a specific key on the key pad. If the poll official detects an error, the transaction can be cancelled and repeated with corrected figures. This process continues until all the results for the polling station have been transmitted.
The advantage of this technology is its speed in delivering the aggregated preliminary results for an entire district (or country) and the reduction in the personnel needed to receive phone calls made by poll officials and count the aggregated results. The main constraint is the requirement to have digital network telephones with key pads (touch-tone technology) in all polling stations. In some areas, this may be a problem as rotary-type analogue telephones are still widely in use and digital networking technology is not yet available. Also, some poll officials may not be familiar or comfortable with this type of technology and will require thorough training in order to build confidence in such a process.
Furthermore, significant costs will be incurred and time required to instal the computer system and customize it to the electoral management body's needs. These costs may well exceed the short-term cost of hiring and training the staff required to gather the results given verbally over the phone.
Internet and World Wide Web
As access to public computer networks increases, polling officials may post future election results directly on the World Wide Web, or other interface on the emerging 'information highway.' Already tested in some jurisdictions with varying degrees of success, election results can be posted instantaneously to a global audience using the Internet.
In future, voting itself may also be done via the Internet. However, the issue of verifying the identity of each voter presents a significant security challenge. Some cost-effective and simple methods of personal identification will need to be developed and implemented before voting via the Internet or some similar computing/communications interface becomes commonplace.
