Enhancing Democracy: Administration and Cost of Elections (ACE)

1. Context: link development with project Elections are one of the most important means for citizens to directly participate in decisions that affect their lives and to hold their representatives accountable for results. In a democracy, elections have three primary functions: First, they are a means for people to choose their representatives; Second, elections are a means of choosing governments; Third, elections confer legitimacy on the political system. Therefore credible elections confer political legitimacy essential to democratic states and provide a crucial mandate if governments are to have the capacity to tackle a multitude of sustainable development challenges. Elections therefore provide a critical intersection between citizens and the interlinked objectives of poverty alleviation, human development and achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.

2. Governance and human development - the two are indivisible. Human development cannot be sustained without good governance. Governance cannot be sound unless it sustains human development. has been at the forefront of this growing consensus, stressing that developing the capacity for good governance should be a primary means of eradicating poverty. defines governance as the exercise of political, economic and administrative authority in the management of a country’s affairs at all levels. Governance comprises the complex mechanisms, processes and institutions through which citizens and groups articulate their interests, mediate their differences and exercise their legal rights and obligations. Good governance has many attributes. It is participatory, transparent and accountable. It is effective in making the best use of resources and is equitable. And it promotes the rule of law.

4. While the concept of being “democratic” differs from country to country, it remains the principle that free and fair elections are a universal must for any state to be considered truly democratic. Elections are the paradigm of enforceable accountability: when a government fails to live up to the needs and desires of the people, the people can throw it out of office. No form of accountability is more direct, no form of participation is more egalitarian. But it would be a mistake to equate democracy with regular elections: democracy also requires functioning institutions. • Building a democracy means much more than regular, competitive and transparent elections, vital as these are. What happens before and after elections is equally important, as is the capacity of voters to demand that electoral processes are translated into genuine democratic gains for the population.

5. Situation In the “third wave” of democratization, many countries began to reform and refashion their electoral systems and processes to more closely meet the goals of accountability, legitimacy, representation and sustainability. Especially since the end of the Cold War and the emergence of democratic governance around the world, elections have become an essential element in constituting a legitimate government. Ten or even 15 years ago the critical challenge could be most accurately described as a knowledge gap: countries were undergoing democratic transitions that featured elections, yet governments, electoral institutions, political parties, and other governance actors did not necessarily have the experience to know how to go about organizing these elections, nor did they have access to comparative knowledge in the area The electoral administration field lacked of a codification.

6. ACE To help address this gap in knowledge , the Administration and Cost of Elections (ACE) Project was established in 1995 as a cooperative venture among the three founding organizations: International Foundation for Election Systems—Democracy at Large (IFES), the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA), and the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA).

7. ACE • What is it • Goals • Intended audience • Description, topic areas • What are its strengths • Who uses ACE and why • Traffic • Products

8. The Administration and Cost of Elections (ACE) Electronic Publication represents the first-ever attempt to provide a globally accessible information resource on election administration. It provides user-friendly, operationally oriented information on options, detailed procedures, alternative solutions and the administrative and cost implications associated with organising elections. One of the primary goals of the original ACE Project was to widen the range of choices available to electoral policy-makers and administrators by providing useful reference information to those charged with the design of electoral systems and procedures, and supporting those providing advisory assistance to electoral management bodies worldwide. This has entailed analyzing the differences among alternative electoral options, with a particular focus on the costs and administrative implications of the available choices, and providing a collection of sample materials, such as forms and manuals, as well as country case studies for comparative purposes.

9. Goals and Intended Audience The main goal of the project was to widen the range of choices available to electoral policymakers and administrators. The ACE strived to provide complete and systematic election information to those who are faced with designing electoral systems and procedures and support those who provide advisory assistance to election management bodies world-wide. The ACE is designed for use by an international audience of policy-makers, election professionals, political parties, media representatives, academics and students, multilateral institutions, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), donors agencies and others who can benefit from the widespread availability of information about different approaches to operating legitimate elections. The need to support this broad audience with an easily accessible and comprehensive collection of information on different approaches to all aspects of election administration was evident to the project partners. Significant advancements in electronic publishing, the widespread adoption of Internet standards, increased world-wide accessibility to the Internet and sharply reduced costs for production and distribution of CD-ROMs helped make this project a reality.

10. In a relatively short time, it became one of the most valued and best-known international depositories of knowledge on elections, including how to management them effectively.

11. New gaps Today, however, the world of electoral administration has changed considerably and the critical challenge has shifted from one of “knowledge” to one of “credibility.” Electoral management bodies face challenges in building trust with other stakeholders, in creating transparent and sustainable systems and processes, and in learning and applying lessons to improve their work. Electoral administrators in developing countries in particular face enormous financial, logistical and political challenges that can leave them low on morale and unwilling to continue their functions through another electoral cycle, thus creating an institutional memory and capacity gap as well. The challenge today then is to help create professional electoral administrations that can then be a vehicle for enhanced credibility in the process. Recent elections in Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, Georgia prove that faith in the electoral process and the people administering that process matters. It matters not only to the electoral exercise per se, but to the credibility of the regime that follows and, ultimately, to the strength of the country’s governance institutions.

12. Knowledge gap – of a new kind • Credibility challenge – lack of trust • Poor continuity and Institutional knowledge • Stakeholder/EMB disconnect • Career Stagnation: • EMBs staff reach level and are not able to develop further The critical challenges associated with electoral administration have evolved since the end of the Cold War; accordingly, the responses needed to address them are no longer the same. Today, there are very few states in the world that do not conduct elections, although the meaning and quality of these vary enormously. More countries than ever before are now working to build democratic governance. Their challenge is to develop institutions and processes that are more responsive to the needs of ordinary citizens, and to promote participation, accountability and effectiveness at all levels.

13. ACE Knowledge Network As the project moves into a new phase, the emphasis of the ACE Project will on ensuring the quality and relevance of the existing knowledge base, introduce dynamic elements to the online resource and develop a knowledge networking and capacity development dimension.