Voting Methods

Election Consulting Group can facilitate the following Voting methods, and others further to  discussion with our Returning Officer and Management:

1. Postal Voting
Postal voting is a traditional and relatively inexpensive method of voting.  It is suitable for organisations especially when the number of members or employees is under 2,500 -3,000 when the price is compared to electronic voting.  It should be taken into consideration that a Postal Ballot requires a minimum of 10 - 14 days Ballot opening period for a Collective Agreement Ballot.  For Board of Directors Election these are usually open for a longer period.

Election Consulting Group only utilise a Declaration Postal Voting or a double envelope system.  This system is used for reasons of integrity to ensure secrecy is guarantee despite the requirement for a voter to sign their Name, write their Member Number or write their Name on the removable flap of the Declaration Envelope.

Sound formal processes are in place for replacement ballot materials, and the level and detail of Returning Officer reporting ensures the more traditional vote method remains popular.

2 . Internet Voting
Election Consulting Group can assist your organization to migrate from a traditional paper based voting system to include an Internet based voting option

The Election Consulting Group utilizes our partner platform and software eLect.  Our clients can count on reliable, and purpose built software, to manage confidential data and Ballot or Election with complete integrity and the highest level of encryption.  eLect software has been audited by BMM Australia prior to being utilised in the 2007 Federal Election electronic voting trial.  More importantly, your confidential data and Election is hosted in Australia on a highly secure Defence Signals Directorate approved site used by Government.

Internet voting is convenient, quick, easy and an accurate voting process.  It provides almost immediate feedback of results.  All a voter needs is access to the Internet, anywhere in the world, in order to participate in an Election, Collective Agreement Ballot, proxy vote, or survey.

Each voter is issued with a randomly generated Personal Access Code, which is used to vote once only.

Internet voting can decrease operation costs to the organization by reducing the need for physical voting locations, paper documentation, postage, and by minimizing the requirements for staff resources and valuable time.

3. Telephone Voting
Call us to find out more about our NEW SMS service

Telephone voting is convenient, completely secure, anonymous, and an easy voting option.  The voter experience is similar to paying a bill over the telephone.  Each voter is issued with a randomly generated Personal Access Code (PAC), which is used to vote once only.  The voter calls the Election Consulting Group pre-designated local or toll free number, listens to the voice prompts enters their PAC and continues selections to vote.  In countries such as the United Kingdom telephone voting is used for Board of Directors Elections (with limited number of Candidates and First Past the Post count) and Consultative Committee Elections.

Votes are accepted and collated instantly by our partner telephone system, which allows an organization to reduce their timeline and their voting processes and ultimately receive interim results soon after the ballot close.

Employees use a digital touch telephone, either at the workplace, home, public telephone, satellite telephone or mobile to vote.

We suggest it is best practice is to post instructions with PAC’s to the employees home or postal address, or they can be sent by in HTML format via email.  Posting the instructions and PAC’s is ideal for employees on leave who are communicated in the same way as their colleagues at work.

Designated 1300 or 1900 numbers are “free call” numbers from land line, however, calls made from mobile phones will be charged at the employee plan rate and may or may not include free initial connection.  Employees overseas can be provided with a “terminating” 612 number, however unless arranged prior the cost of the call is borne by the employee.  The Election Consulting Group engages our partner who have multiple telephone lines to accommodate system demand during the voting period.  Technical Help Desk support can be provided either by telephone or email.  Client specific Help Desk FAQ’s are developed for the method of voting chosen by the client.

4. Hybrid Ballot
Election Consulting Group’s expertise is in the management and delivery of “Hybrid” ballots.  We can assist your organisation migrate from postal to a full electronic method by utilizing a Hybrid Ballot or Election
The principal objective of a Hybrid Ballot is to attain a high participation of voting through, or by providing employee or members with a maximum degree of accessibility to an electronic method.

A “hybrid” Ballot or Election is one that involves any combination(s) of Post with electronic methods.  The on-line Ballot Paper is represented with the aim to exactly replicate the paper Ballot Paper and materials.
The most popular combination or” Hybrid Ballot” is Post and Internet or Post and Telephone.

Internet and Telephone “Hybrid” voting has been utilized for larger Government Departments Collective Agreement Ballots when the number of employees exceeds 2,000.

Where this is a combination of Postal voting with an electronic form of voting, employees will be provided with ballot material to enable them to vote by Post.  The materials will include an Instruction Sheet with how to caste a vote via the Internet and “unique” Personal Access Codes.

The Election Consulting Group Consultant will outline the methods available and discuss the essential pro’s and con’s of the various voting methods.  For Board of Directors Elections the Returning Officer will review the Rules together with the Constitution to ensure electronic methods has been listed as and accepted form of voting.