How to run an election cheaply

 A RAFT of problems have emerged from the ongoing local level government elections which are nearing completion.

So much so that Chief Electoral Commissioner Andrew Trawen was last week contemplating failing the elections in many parts of the highlands because of chronic illegal practices.

While he is contemplating that, we ask that he reflects deeply on how this elections was prepared and conducted by the Electoral Commission.

Foul play has always occurred in PNG elections.

Each election is prepared to minimise foul play but there was one tested and tried method available to the commission that 

appears to have been ignored altogether.

Immediately before the 2012 elections, there was a by-election in Chimbu for the Kundiawa-Gembogl seat left vacant by the death of the late Joseph Mek Teine.

A unique method of running elections was tested in the by-election. 

It was  found to be highly successful in reducing costs, and encouraging a high turnout of women voters,

Most of all, the result of the by-election was fair.

This model was recommended for the 2012 elections. 

To our knowledge it was rejected, first in favour of the old method and then for an expensive, untested, untried and far too technical biometric system that is still being trialled in India.

What happened in Chimbu is simple. 

An identity card system was produced incorporating the name of the voter and his or her photograph. It also contained information on family members and LLG as well as  clan and village names. 

This was done on-site during the common roll updating period.

The date was entered and incorporated into a data base at the provincial electoral commission office.

This was credible as the whole community, the councillors and village leaders were involved in the process of public registration.

The ID system followed an awareness and training and registration programme called the Family Roll.

This awareness was carried out in Hela, SHP, WHP, Jiwaka, Chimbu and EHP – all the highlands provinces.

Churches and civil society organisations were roped into the process to help spread the message with minimal cost to the commission.

The Chimbu election team also championed separate polling booths for women voters and, for the first time, a significant number of women were able to vote without being harassed.

This was a breakthrough in gender empowerment and participation.  

Finally, an electronic counting system was adopted and tested in Chimbu which also passed muster. 

It reportedly reduced  tensions in the counting 

room substantially.

The Chimbu experience highlights that this method is cost effective, simple and transparent. 

Another advantage of the electronic counting system was that it could be viewed anywhere in the country in realtime.

Another fundamental operational problem addressed was the communication aspects.

Mobile phones were used in Chimbu through a “closed caller group” pre-paid package which allowed the election team to communicate freely without worrying about running out of phone credits. 

They also used the phones to take photographs of the women polling and sent the images by email to headquarters.

An electoral support programme sponsored by AusAID and Cardno studying election preparations in the seven highlands provinces prior to the 2012 national elections recommended the Chimbu model for nationwide application.

 The prime minister was briefed on it but it was never taken up.

The process there “reduced 90% of the election related tensions” and would cost each province about K150,000 to purchase the electronic counting equipment inclusive of 12 laptops and stationery.

The prime minister was told that the biometric system was far too expensive and cumbersome to install and use.

As to why a system that had been tested and found to be cheap and most effective has not been adopted for nationwide application is a story that needs further elaboration with input and explanation from the PNGEC.