El Salvador elections project

The project will be implemented by the Central Electoral Council (CCE), composed of representatives of El Salvador"s five major political parties and responsible for administering electoral matters. The project"s major activity will consist of upgrading the CCE"s voter registry (based on information from voter identification cards) and supporting computer hardware. Although the CCE is undecided as to exactly how it will establish a new elections registry as mandated by law in 1982, the following project activities will prove essential to that end. First, existing registry data will be transferred to a state-of-the-art minicomputer system, compatible with the current rented system to ensure rapid, low-cost conversion; software will permit information to be sorted, matched with other databases, and updated. A data gathering and programming team will provide update information. Two automated databases of birth and death records from civil registers will be established and matched with the electoral registry to certify voter lists and facilitate the removal of fraudulent cards and those of deceased voters; lists of inconsistencies will be forwarded to all parties for approval before deletions are made. For municipalities where information is not updated by election time, an alternative registry procedure will be devised. A security system will be installed for the registry (to be certified by an international audit firm), and backup systems will be designed and implemented. In addition: (1) A local advertising firm will be contracted to disseminate information through available local media on the electoral registry and voting procedures. (2) TA will be provided to help the CCE analyze various voting procedures and their possible consequences, and financing will be provided for ballot boxes, printing of ballots, and other logistical support for the elections. (3) To enhance the national and international credibility of the elections, impartial foreign observers will be invited to monitor the election process, as they did with great success in the 1982 elections.