Enhancing Transparency and Equality in the Electoral Process
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Transcript of Enhancing Transparency and Equality in the Electoral Process
Enhancing Transparency and Equality
in the Electoral ProcessExperiences in Voter Registration
4th Annual Meeting of Electoral Management BodiesTbilisi, GeorgiaFeb. 25th, 2014
• Voter registration objectives
• Issues encountered
• Operational challenges found
• Goals to achieve
• Key success factors
• Key results achieved
• Project differentiators
• Biometric voter registration advice
• Strategic advantages achieved
• Smartmatic contribution
AGENDA
• Increasing the reliability of electoral results
• Inclusion of all groups of voters in the voters’ database
• Ensuring consistency and effective update of the voters’ database
• Achieving synchronization of National ID and voter databases
• Simplifying procedures for more efficient execution of voter registration projects
Objectives of Voter Registration for EMBs
When attaining most or all of these, generally we see 2 major effects, among others:
Higher voter turnout and inclusion in the electoral process
Increased trust in the electoral process and in the EMB
• Hard to motivate voters to register
• High complexity of registration operations in the countryside
• Short timeframe for voter registration/data validation
• Disparate features in existing biometric and non-biometric voter databases
• Insufficient or inflexible set of functionalities in voter registration applications
Issues Encountered by Election Management Bodies in this area
When not properly dealt with, these generally result in:
Missed registration targets or deadlines
Poor quality of voter databases
Operational ChallengesElements that represented the main challenges in local conditions
• Few facilities with proper conditions
for warehouse and processing centers
• Limited coverage of the
telecommunications network
• Power shortages and voltage
fluctuations
• Adverse climatic and geographic
conditions
• Populations scattered across remote
locations with difficult access
• Long response time from some local
suppliers
2009 Bolivia: Biometrically register from scratch 3.5 to 4 million citizens nationally and
up to 200 thousand living abroad in max 75 days
2010 – 2011 Zambia: Update the Electoral Registry from 2.8 to 4.1 million voters.
Include biometric information ahead of the 2011 Elections
2011 – 2012 Venezuela: Merge 3 different biometric voter databases. Generate a
consolidated one to use for voter authentication on Election Day, 2012
2013 – 2014 Haiti: Biometrically register 3.5 million people and conduct a complete
technology transfer, as most vital records and equipment were lost during the 2010
earthquake.
Goals in Voter Registration Projects
Initial Expectations of the EMB’s
Key Success Factors Indentified
Voter Registration Projects – How they did it
Public Awareness and Strong Stakeholder SponsorshipKey success factors
Train the Trainers strategy for a fast and
effective training in the nation and abroad
Careful selection of facilitators
Selection of field personnel with prior
similar local experience
Profile descriptions for each position
Continuous update of training and
procedures guidelines
Certification of trained staff
Proper Staff Recruitment and TrainingKey success factors
Logistics management methodology designed
for large-scale operations
Operations Center strategically
located with the right infrastructure and
logistics-savvy personnel
Technological tools to coordinate the
configuration at each stage of the process
Structured process with strict quality control
at each stage (Reception, Setup, Quality
Control, Packaging, Distribution and roll-back)
Inventory and configuration management Key success factors
Customized distribution strategy to the client's
needs and logistical requirements
Automated process and tools for inventorying,
diagnosing and configuring registration kits
Barcode Labeling of each registration kit
Reduced number of selected logistical services
providers nationwide.
Alignment of regional delivery schedules with
EMB’s plans and timeline
Deployment ManagementKey success factors
A user-friendly interface for the simplest and
fastest possible registration process
Customization of Enrollment System to the
registration process defined by EMB´s at
regional level
Ongoing learning from field operations
performance to refine the process
Solid and flexible system to register and
biometrically identify every citizen regardless
of his status or needs
Biometric Enrollment and Identification SystemsKey success factors
National support center for centralized
coordination of the whole process
Solid Remote and field support
strategy nationwide
Specialized management tools
Weekly performance reports of field staff and
registration process
Continuous communication with regional
managers
Adequate Field and Remote Support for the Registration ProcessKey success factors
Proprietary and Confidential
Open to participation of all political players,
social organizations and academic sectors
Promoted and conducted during pre and
post-registration activities
Planning and execution according to
protocols proposed and agreed among
widest possible spectrum of stakeholders
Results made public according to pre-defined
timeframe
Auditability of Processes and TechnologyKey success factors
Voter Registration Projects
Key Results
Bolivia:
5.2 million people (37% more than expected) biometrically registered in 72 days,
with an average biometric registration time of just 3 minutes per citizen
Increased inclusion in the Electoral Registry by 48.5% in less than 3 months
Zambia:
increased the National Voter Registry to 5.16 Million voters (exceeded
expectations by 26%), while including biometrics for the 1st time
One of very few successful Biometric Voter Registration projects in Africa
Venezuela:
Increased the % of voters with biometric information from 63% to 95% in 1 year
Consolidated and updated the Electoral Registry, enabling a seamless, real-time
biometric voter authentication at polling places for the 1st time in the World
Increased the National Electoral Registry by 40%+
Voter turnout increased 10+ Points from previous Election
Voter Registration and Authentication
Impact on Voter Turnout in Bolivia (Pop. 10.5 million)
Electoral Event Year Registered Voters
Votes Issued
Voter Participation
General Elections 1997 3.252.501 2.321.117 71%
General Elections 2002 4.155.055 2.994.065 72%
General Elections 2005 3.671.152 3.102.417 85%
General Elections and Referendum
2009 5.139.554 4.859.440 95%
Proprietary and Confidential
Increased biometric voter records by 50% from slightly more than 60 to 95.3% of
all voters in the Electoral Registry in less than 1 year
Increased voter turnout by 24.2% between 2000 and 2012 (over 3 elections)
Voter Registration and Authentication (as part of e-voting)
Impact on Voter Turnout in Venezuela (Pop. 30 million)
Electoral Event Year Registered Voters
Votes Issued
Voter Participation
General Elections 2000 11.790.397 6.600.196 56.31%
Presidential Elections* 2006 15.785.777 11.790.397 74.69%
Presidential Elections** 2012 18.903.937 15.176.253 80.49%
Proprietary and Confidential
* Electronic voting used for the first time in Venezuela for presidential elections** Biometrics used for the first time to authenticate voters at polling places on E-day
Voter Registration Projects
DIFFERENTIATORS
SUCCESSFUL PROJECTS
Good public awareness campaign
Proper sizing
Holistic project management
approach
Solution – driven
EMB relied on experienced system
integrators
On target, on time, on budget
FAILED PROJECTS
Poor voters’ education campaigns
Poor sizing
Hardware –specs driven
Poor training, no technology transf.
EMB relied on inexperienced
hardware resellers or traders
Often delayed, targets missed
Voter Registration Advice
AVOIDING THE “FEATURE”, PIECE-BY-PIECE APPROACH
Voter Registration Projects
Strategic advantages achieved by the countries implementing them
Electoral process credibility improved
Voters’ database reliability demonstrated
Voter turnout increased
Inclusion and participation promoted
Financial support from international
organizations for future projects
Smartmatic provides technology and integrated logistics and services for biometric registration:
1. Public / Voter Awareness Campaign consulting and planning
2. Needs and requirements analysis, definition of project approach and plan
3. Software application design and implementation for every need
4. Integrated Logistics Services and Support
Mobile and fixed registration kits configuration and deployment
National Support (Call) Center planning, setup and management
Nationwide field technical support
Comprehensive support to the registration process
Personnel and management-level training
5. Project Management and continuous knowledge transfer to local authorities/personnel
6. Cutting-edge Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) technology
Voter Registration Projects
Smartmatic Contribution
Thank You...
Questions and Answers