The cost of elections, or any electoral event, is a concern to governments and election management bodies alike, regardless of the country's level of development. A prohibitively high cost election system that the country cannot afford can jeopardize the entire democratic process. To minimize the cost of an election, the vote counting system and procedures chosen should make use of the existing infrastructure, such as transport and communication networks, as much as practicable, and take into account literacy levels and recruitment pools for officials.
What is affordable, expensive or feasible can vary greatly between countries. Here are some generic guidelines regarding costs:
- the simpler the system, the lower the vote counting costs;
- the greater the use of existing infrastructure, the lower the cost;
- the more permanence and continuity between elections, the higher the savings in materials and training costs;
- the lower the political stability, the higher the cost in terms of added security measures.
Specific Needs for Vote Counting
The local environment and political situation may add to specific needs for vote counting at polling stations. Such local factors might include the need for additional security measures during counting or specific communications technology that is not readily available.
Higher than expected turnout may affect the counting duration, and additional staff may be required to cope with the additional ballots to be counted. Expected budgets may be exceeded if such contingencies have not been planned. Worst (or best) case scenarios (for example, expecting 100 percent of registered voters to turn out to vote) are frequently used when election budgets are planned in order to build in sufficient capacity.
The selection of a specific counting technology may also increase costs or reduce them, depending on the choices made in terms of manual or machine counting.
Also, costs will vary depending on the methods chosen for communicating voting results. Transmitting results by phone is often cost-effective, depending on distance and availability. Transmitting results by fax is also cost-effective and can be more accurate, as it is easier to make a mistake verbally than it is in writing. Where faxes are used, budgets should account for related supplies and services such as toner cartridges, maintenance, and the cost of fax lines. Where conventional fixed telephones or faxes are not available, mobile phones or radios may be used. Results may also be sent by electronic mail where access is available. Where no electronic options are available, results may have to be delivered by courier.
Human Resources versus Cost of Technology
Use of technology for counting votes may reduce the overall cost of an election and be more effective under certain conditions. However, depending on local factors, the process of manually counting paper ballots may be comparatively less expensive.
Whether a technological solution is cost-effective will depend on a range of local circumstances, including the complexity of the voting system, the number of ballots being counted, the relative cost of labour compared to technology, and whether counting is centralized or decentralized.
In general, a mechanical or computerized method of counting paper ballots (as opposed to systems where votes are cast electronically or mechanically) may be cost-effective, where large numbers of ballots are being counted centrally, where a voting system is used that lends itself to mechanical counting, and where labour costs are relatively high. Cost considerations aside, election management bodies should be aware that mechanical or computerized counting methods might be faster and more accurate than manual methods.
While the use of technology might appear a costly option, if the technology acquisition costs can be amortized over several elections, the investment may be worthwhile. On the other hand, rapid advances in technology tend to cause electoral technology to age quickly and be overtaken between two elections. Availability of technical support during the electoral period is another important aspect that should be considered.
A detailed cost-benefit analysis, accompanied by a study of the legal impacts and management risks associated with the adoption of a particular technological solution, may be worthwhile before any final decisions are made to adopt technological vote counting methods.
