|
Frequently
Asked Questions
1.
How long has the company provided scrutineering services in
the UK?
As part of the Electoral Reform Society, ERS scrutineered
its first ballot in 1898. Our relationship with some clients
extends back to over a century.
2.
Is the company's name widely
recognised and trusted within the UK?
The Electoral Reform name is by far the most well known and
respected name in balloting in the UK. No other organisation
can come close to matching our list or range of clients.
3.
As legislative and other requirements vary from one type of
ballot to another, can the company provide adequate references
from organisations that have undertaken similar types of ballot?
ERS is experienced in every sphere of balloting from Company
AGMs to Trade Union elections and will freely provide references
that are directly relevant to any project that a client may
be considering.
4.
How would the company charge for its services?
ERS has no beneficial shareholders and has always
been able to offer very competitive charges. The Electoral
Reform Group operates on a not-for-profit basis, offering
free advice to hundreds of organisations on electoral issues.
We will be happy to provide a scale of charges on request.
5. How many
permanent staff does the company employ directly on ballot
work in the UK?
ERS has 90 permanent staff, experienced in every aspect
of ballot administration, some of whom have been with the
organisation for over 20 years.
6.
Would the company have sufficient control of the whole process
to guarantee to meet my deadlines?
ERS staff have direct control over the whole of
the ballot process from artwork design to count. This affords
total security and flexibility to any project undertaken,
guaranteeing that timetables can be met.
7.
Would my ballot papers be security printed in-house by experienced
staff or would the printing be subcontracted to a third party?
ERS designs and produces the artwork and security
prints ballot papers in-house. The system is totally controlled
by its own staff.
8. Would the mailing of my ballot
papers be undertaken in-house by ERS staff or would this work
be subcontracted to a mailing house?
ERS has its own internal mailing house which utilises the latest
video-imaging systems for addressing envelopes. C4 and C5 mailing
machines are all fitted with infra-red detectors to prevent
misfilling. This service is used by such organisations as the
Bank of England, the Law Society and the Institute of Chartered
Accountants even for mailings that don't involve a ballot.
9.
Does ERS have the capacity to process and count all its ballot
work securely in-house or has it ever subcontracted counting
to third parties?
ERS has the latest electronic scanning equipment and vote count
software in-house and has handled numerous projects with over
a million responses. No ballot counting has ever been subcontracted
to a third party.
10. Is the telephone
voting system in-house or is it subcontracted to a third party?
ERS has a fully interactive telephone voting system open 24-hours
a day, 365 days of the year, located within its own building
and operated by its own staff.
11. What security
does ERS have in place to ensure that Internet voting results
cannot be altered and that the system cannot be brought down
by hackers?
Whilst other suppliers will try to put you off by claims
of proprietary information - ERS will not!
The Internet voting system that ERS uses has 1024-bit encryption
which ensures that election results cannot be altered. The system
uses uninterruptible power supplies and is physically protected
by a non-destructive fire suppression system. The architecture
of the system allows round-the-clock voting without concern
for equipment failure or malicious attacks.
12. As the key
security feature for telephone or Internet voting is a unique
PIN number, does the company generate and print the PIN numbers
in-house or is this subcontracted to a third party?
The ERS internal IT department generates the PIN number and
these are printed onto ballot forms in-house. |
