This is possibly the closest experience we will have of time stopping still. And yet, ironically, it is also a race against time for those on the frontlines to find a cure for this pandemic, for policy makers and thinkers to find ways to adapt to a “new normal.”

The impact of COVID-19 has sent strong reverberations in all sectors of life. As the world continues to grapple with the changing times, strong possibilities to re-examine the ways in which we have been living and working emerge. This is also true for protecting the most sacred institution in a democracy: elections.

The electoral cycle adopts an expansive view of elections, taking into account the pre-elections, during elections and post-elections phase. It reinforces that elections are not a one-off event and that a lot of work goes into ensuring that elections run smoothly, transparently and credibly. Therefore, at any given time, the electoral management bodies (EMBs) are busy in keeping abreast with the electoral needs of the country: ensuring an accurate and up-to-date voter roll, a pre-requisite for elections; conducting electoral education throughout the country; learning from past elections with a view to improve future ones.

But the COVID-19 has upended this balance – voter registration activities have been hampered, other emerging issues are being prioritized over electoral education, and remote working modalities have disrupted the pace at which EMBs prepare for these events. What we know is fast changing.

In fact, there have been discussions on universal suffrage versus right to health. Should EMBs continue elections in the wake of the life-threatening pandemic, especially if they are legally mandated to do so?

The answer to this is,  there is no one-size-fits-all model. Between February 2020 up until 7 May, at least fifty-three countries and territories across the globe have decided to postpone national and subnational elections, whereas at least twenty countries and territories have decided to hold them as originally planned despite concerns related to COVID-19.[1]

While each country must decide what will work best for them, it can be agreed that this pandemic is forcing us to think outside the box, where we do not have pre-set reference models for what is right. This means that EMBs now hold the opportunity to think about making elections more accessible and inclusive in the days to come, albeit whilst ensuring that all health and safety standards against the pandemic are met.

New Opportunities to Learn

What is clear is that the world as we know, it will change post pandemic, so too will the way in which elections will get carried out. The days to come will have to think of policies that complement the health concerns and work to ensure that no one fundamental human right is forsaken at the expense of another.

For one, all phases in the electoral cycle approach may benefit from incorporating safety and sanitation measures against COVID-19 to ensure safe elections for all; including for people with disabilities, who may face multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination. In order to oversee that these safety and sanitation measures are met, a component of election observation and election monitoring may also involve a medical observation team. To further help make the process smooth, trainings for those on the election frontlines may be provided so that they too can adapt to the changing context.

Secondly, electoral education may be explored in a new light so as to reach those hardest to reach. This may mean collaborating with Internet service providers, making smartphones that are accessible and affordable for all, and collaborating with one another to offer these teachings in digital ways. Interestingly, we are learning that as physical mobility decreases during lockdowns, intellectual mobility increases. We are learning that it has become easier to  connect with ideas across the globe through webinars. These international learnings can then be tailored to the local context to further disseminate them in local languages and in accessible manners at all levels of the federal structure of the country. Moreover, the digital knowledge repository can be archived to inform and serve future elections. However, all this should be done by analysing the risks digital technologies may pose, to inform a digitally secure future.

Of course, all of these activities need to be considered in light of the cost of elections so that post COVID-19 elections are cost-effective. This may require collaboration with other government and non-government organizations to understand how to reduce the costs. Here, experiences from a multitude of actors, and multitude of EMBs across borders can offer insights. The collaborative work can also be fruitful to come up with common solutions to common problems.

With this pandemic, new ways of coping and emerging from them are in sight. This holds true even for elections. It is therefore up to us to leverage these and use them as opportunities to adapt to changing realities.

[1] “Global Overview of COVID-19: Impact on Elections.” Global Overview of COVID-19: Impact on Elections | International IDEA, 2020, www.idea.int/news-media/multimedia-reports/global-overview-covid-19-impact-elections.