Election administration in the US and the challenges ahead

Image: PEW Website

Today it is no secret to anyone that the US election administrators have a daunting challenge ahead of them. Since the butterfly ballot scandal caught worldwide attention and surfaced the obsolescence of its voting systems, elections in the US have been surrounded by controversy.

Fortunately, the demand for better electoral processes is finding interesting responses from both, Government related organisms (Electoral Assistance Commission) and the non-government sector. The body of knowledge being developed by these organizations will certainly disseminate better practices and improve how elections are run across all states.

The PEW Charitable Trust is one of these organizations promoting clean, transparent and efficient elections. A recent research project by this ONG, labeled The First Comprehensive Assessment of Election Administration Across the Nation, pinpoints the obstacles in the road to better run elections.

One of the most interesting ideas emanating from that initiative is the Elections Performance Index (EPI). The EPI was developed with the intent to provide election officials and policymakers with a tool to help them benchmark their performance, as well as assess which policies are working effectively.

Using 17 criteria the EPI analyzed the 2008 and 2010 elections across 50 states. Factors such as wait time, lost votes, availability of online voting information, voter turnout, accuracy of technology, among others, allowed the to assess the state of the US electoral system, and indicate a path to improve election administration.

The results obtained in the study, and the obvious next steps emanating from this initiative, come at very important moment. With the next election two years away, and the re-elected president willing to endorse the necessary changes, the US is in an important position to face and conquer the challenges ahead. 

Strengthening democracy through institutional confidence

Image: http://commercialobserver.com

A recent book named Why Nations Fail, by Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson, concludes what is now a widely accepted theory: the nature and strength of institutions is the variable that best describes progress and well being of nations.  In other words, institutional confidence is paramount to a cohesive, striving society. 

In the contrary, and as stated in a study by Kenneth Newton and Pippa Norris from Harvard University called Confidence in Public Institutions: Faith, Culture or Performance?  "An erosion of confidence in the major institutions of society, especially those of representative democracy, is a far more serious threat to democracy than a loss of trust in other citizens or politicians". "A loss of confidence in institutions may well be a better indicator of public disaffection with the modern world because they are the basic pillars of society".

As a blog that promotes best practices in election administration and advocates for the adoption of voting technologies, we firmly believe in the benefits of automation. In this young industry of automated voting, we have seen the positive effects e-voting has brought forth when well implemented. Nations with highly polarized political atmospheres, and in the brink of social and political unrest, have managed to strengthen their democracy through the institutional confidence that results from the efficient adoption of electronic voting. One such example is Venezuela. 

For the last eight years, Venezuela has managed to improve election automation to such level that theirs have been deemed as technically impeccable by pundits, politicians and international observers. Just recently, former President Jimmy Carter named Venezuela's voting system as the most advanced in the world. Now, the biggest contribution electronic voting has brought to Venezuela has been the levels of trust it has instilled in the general population. According to one of the most known Venezuelan pollsters, Datanálisis, seven of every ten voters believe the voting system utilized is modern, and 95% believe it is easy to use.

The CNE, Venezuela's National Electoral Council, is nowadays among the most trusted institutions in the South American nation. According to a survey by Hinterlaces, an important and respected pollster firm, 71% of Venezuelans trusts the National Electoral Council. The church is one of the few institutions ranking with such high percentages. 

To put these numbers into context, let’s refer to Gallup's Confidence in Institution analysis. According to a poll done last June 7-10, 2012 in the United States of America, the Military ranks highest with 75% of approval. Small business follows with 63% and Police with 56%. After that, no other institution ranks with more than 50%. State branches, which could be compared to Venezuela’s CNE, are not so well qualified. The Presidency obtained 37%, the U.S. Supreme Court has 37%, and lagging behind is Congress with a mere 13%.

Venezuela is just one more example of how electronic voting has helped enormously to promote democracy. Fortunately, the number of countries resorting to e-voting is growing.