The election without an election department

THE ELECTION WITHOUT AN ELECTION DEPARTMENT

 The Norwegian election system and it's function is a newer experience for many of developing countries because of it's successful approach for higher efficiency in it's mechanism and maximum commitment for strengthening the democratic rights of voters. The study of Such effective measures provides many possible fruitful changes as well as modifications that can be applied on the currant election systems of developing nations. Any of citizen who is unable to vote on the exact date of election will be given the two months of duration to use his democratic right in Norwegian election system.In the past General election ,above time period of extended was from 2nd July to 17th September which is very significant for voters whom are unable to vote on the election day.Registration for voting is unnecessary in Norwegian system where any citizen who access to polling station can vote very easily.In this system every political party has it's own ballot paper which are distributed in public places by the helpers of each political party.Any citizen who can use this ballot paper in the relevant polling station where the ballot paper is certified of it's validity by stamping it.In many of developing countries the above process is much more complex as ballot papers are considered as a highly confidential document. After voter proves his/her identity to the election officer, he/she will be given only on the day of election and in any case, one cannot keep it out of polling station.possession and distribution of ballots is a punishable offense.
According to election laws, it is punishable when someone use a model of ballot paper marked.In many of Scandinavian and Norwegian countries,election officers should not necessarily be government workers , as any of citizen can apply to be an election officer.On the purpose of honest,impartial and respectable performance of their duty,selected applicants are disciplined in complete methodical training on polling station activities before they are deployed for election duty.In Norwegian election system, the ballots are validated by day stamping them.This makes the whole polling process is very easy and minimum numbers of election officers are required for the function of polling station.In many occasions, only one polling officer is easily able to conduct the polling station. The most attractive thing is that there are no polling agents of each political party or tightened security by using police or army personals in such of polling stations .In many developing countries, as we have seen , the polling stations are the places of battle fields where at least five election officers are required on the purposes of checking electoral register,probing the identity of voter,issuing valid ballots and finger inking of applicants etc.

 On the process of counting ballots is a fairly efficient function when each political party issues a it's own ballots symbolized.ballots are easily categorized under the political parties according to their symbols and then start the process of counting to calculate how many votes are secured by each political party.at the end of counting, official statics,documents and ballots are handed over to supervisor of the center who will finally hand over those things to central counting center.It is significant that there are no documents to be filled or to complete polling station result sheet.In central counting center, those documents are electronically scanned and check the accuracy and validity of relevant documents and sometimes random samples of ballots. It is a characteristic feature of such system lack of presentation of political agents or candidates to observe the counting process as every citizens have kept their complete trust on what election officers have engaged . In many developing countries,political parties and candidates spend unlimited amounts of money for their promotion campaigns as judicial frame is lack of restrictions on such of issues.

Mega cut outs,posters and advertisements of television and radio channels cost millions of dollars.some of candidates largely on incentives as a bribe to the voters.However it is a widespread idea that above money is earned by abusing their state power and in many illicit ways such as drug deals and other malfunctions.Such of abused system helps richer candidates to make higher impressions in the society and other candidates are underestimated by the society.
 In few of developed countries,political parties can raise their finance only by their memberships but no member can expect any benefits in return as they expect to establish their party policy on the society which gains benefits for whole society commonly.expenses of political parties are audited in such electoral traditions and sometimes publicized in public newspapers and other mass medias. Such of measures avoid secret bribes, corruptions and illicit transactions and enable to increase transparency where on the purpose of building strong trust among the politicians and public to motivate honest adaptation of good political culture in the benefits of whole social system.

 S.M Anuradha Senarathna .BSc (Hon's)-PG dip in sociology