Envision for a moment that you are responsible for orchestrating the logistics for India’s 2024 Lok Sabha elections. You would be overseeing 15 million poll workers spread across 1,050,000 polling stations to accommodate 978 million registered voters. Quite a daunting task, isn’t it?
Well, the truth is that all Election Management Bodies (EMBs) navigating logistics and operations encounter a common array of challenges akin to those faced by the Election Commission of India. The range of tasks and considerations EMBs must address is remarkably uniform, whether they are printing 1.2 billion ballot papers in Indonesia, enrolling voters in the Andean highlands of Bolivia, deploying 110,000 voting machines throughout the Philippines’ vast archipelago, or facilitating an extended 11-day voting period in Los Angeles.
Fortunately for election authorities, the emergence of technologies such as business intelligence (BI) tools, electronic poll books (e-Poll books), and more recently, artificial intelligence, is putting on the hands of EMBs tools that can substantially increase their oversight and control capabilities.
Peter Drucker, who is regarded as the ‘father of modern management,’ once coined a remarkable phrase: “If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it.” These words of wisdom underscore the importance of measurement in the process of management and improvement of any process. EMBs are taking this to heart, leveraging an array of technology-enabled solutions to monitor logistics and operations, and closely manage key performance indicators (KPIs).
BI harnesses processes and applications for data analysis, transforming a vast array of raw data into digestible and actionable insights, thereby facilitating informed decision-making for EMBs. The deployment of about 22,000 election devices in Los Angeles County – including voting machines – across numerous vote centers exemplifies a logistical puzzle that BI technology adeptly resolves. In Los Angeles, BI becomes indispensable for the real-time management of staff and efficient, on-time equipment movement, from the initial dispatch from the warehouse to strategic placement at polling stations, their installation, and ultimately, their return.
In a 7,000-island archipelago like the Philippines, BI has been indispensable for monitoring logistics. By keeping track of a wide range of KPIs, BI tools have played a pivotal role in ensuring that equipment deliveries adhere to schedule, transit times are optimized, and strict distribution and retrieval timelines are met. Additionally, these tools enable election officials to effectively monitor staff performance, pinpoint bottlenecks in real-time, and make data-backed decisions, further streamlining the logistical complexities of managing nationwide elections.
E-poll books are a boon for EMBs, especially in the context of large-scale elections where controlling every aspect of operations is a gargantuan task. These devices come equipped with easy-to-follow guidelines, mitigating the reliance on poll worker training for successful operation. E-poll books also generate real-time data, that give authorities the necessary visibility of field operations to ensure voting runs smoothly. E-poll books serve as a vigilant field system for EMBs, alerting them to issues in real-time, enabling prompt intervention and resolution. The introduction of e-poll books drastically cuts down the production of thousands of pages of physical poll books. E-poll books can also facilitate critical tasks like accurate voter authentication and transmitting results.
The use of artificial intelligence in logistics and elections operations is expanding as EMBs seek to improve decision-making and streamline operations. AI can furnish administrators with deeper insights on a frequent and detailed basis, transforming information into a vital tool for predicting trends and generating meaningful outcomes. AI algorithms can also help analyze past data, ordering patterns, and product characteristics to determine efficient warehousing configurations and processes, thereby optimizing the flow of materials necessary for elections.
Technology, by transforming every facet of elections—from planning and logistics to execution and analysis—is proving to be a critical ally in the quest to uphold democracy. As EMBs further integrate these tools into their operations, they are paving the way towards elections that are not only more manageable but also more transparent, equitable, and reflective of the will of the people.
Antonio Mugica, an election expert with experience in over 35 countries, and CEO of Smartmatic, compares election officials to orchestra conductors: while they hold the baton and set the tempo, their success relies on the coordinated efforts of many players. With the latest technological tools, the metaphorical baton wielded by EMBs has gained unprecedented power.
