Electronic Voting & Counting Technologies - IFES

INTERNATIONAL PILOT PROJECTELECTORAL STANDARDSagents and observers in pilot areas so theyalso understand the new procedure.Stakeholder OutreachGetting the support of key stakeholders willbe important to the perceived and actualsuccess of any pilot for electronic voting andcounting technologies. Providing access tothe technology prior to elections, as indicatedabove, will be one way of reaching out to keystakeholders. However, additional efforts toinform stakeholders should also be pursued.Local candidates, party representatives,domestic observers, media and communityrepresentatives should be briefed by theEMB on the pilot project at the beginningof the planning process. They will need tobe informed about the technology beingpiloted, the reasons why it is being pilotedand the benefits that it is expected to bringto the process.If stakeholders can be won over to the pilotprocess, they can be strong supporters ofthe process, acting as a channel for key votereducation information and providing vitalmechanisms for feedback on the success, orotherwise, of the pilot project.the pilot project, locations in which the pilotwill take place and the benefits that areanticipated from using electronic technology.It will be especially important to inform thosewho will be voting in pilot project locations.In line with this policy of openness the PilotProject Committee may also consider havingsome or all of its meetings open to the mediaand those interested. At a minimum it shouldissue press releases at key points in the pilotproject process.Election Day SupportThe piloting of an electronic voting orcounting system will likely involve manysignificant changes in the process ofadministering elections. Regardless of howgood the training and documentation thatis provided to electoral officials, there willinevitably be some problems in applyingthe procedures and training when electoralofficials come to use electronic voting orcounting systems on Election Day. Goodprocedures, training and documentationcan help mitigate these problems to a largeextent, but it always makes sense whenmaking significant changes to a system tomake special provisions for dealing withquestions concerning the new procedures.PublicityA pilot project on the use of electronic votingand counting technologies is by nature avery public process. The earlier that the PilotProject Committee can start to publicizethat it will be conducting a pilot, the better.It will be important to communicate to allstakeholders the rationale for conductingA dedicated, centralized help desk isa good way of dealing with the manyquestions likely to be raised whenimplementing the kinds of changes to votingprocedures that occur with the introductionof an electronic voting or counting system.The help desk should be available fromat least a few days before the conductof elections to deal with questions that66Electronic Voting & Counting Technologies: A Guide to Conducting Feasibility Studies