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 and Referendum

2009 5.139.554 4.859.440 95%


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%


* 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


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


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


Smartmatic Contribution

Thank You...

Questions and Answers

Enhancing Transparency and Equality in the Electoral Process

News & Politics

Transcript of Enhancing Transparency and Equality in the Electoral Process