III. Project Overview:

Description:
The Election Process Information Collection (EPIC) will consist of a database of election-related data and information collected in a consistent manner. It will focus on providing information that sheds light on the electoral structures within a given country.

Objective:
As an objective, the partners aim to provide a resource which will assist those involved in administering and evaluating the electoral process, offering consistent data which can be compared on a country-by-country and region-by-region basis. As an increasing number of nations seek to reform and professionalize their electoral systems, election professionals are seeking reliable comprehensive and comparative data. EPIC will offer the information necessary to compare and contrast electoral approaches, assisting analysts in enacting reforms which meet their particular national requirements and reflect international norms for good election management practices.

Target Audience:
The number of individuals and organizations to which this type of information will be useful is immense. Election administration and policymakers-individuals tasked with proposing and implementing systems which ultimately contribute to stability, or instability, in a given country or region-will be the primary audience for EPIC data. In these two groups alone, it is estimated that there are 12,000 people. It is estimated that an additional 1,300 individuals require the reliable data provided through EPIC in election support agencies found in multilateral organizations, international NGOs, Think Tanks, and other election-related institutions. About 1,000 staff members at Donor Agencies and Foundations would also be interested in the data being accumulated in this project. To perform their varied institutional roles efficiently in the context of specific electoral processes, each of these actors require ready access to country-specific and comparative electoral information that is up-to-date, comprehensive and accurate.

In addition to these groups, academics play a principal role in analyzing electoral processes, often providing policymakers and implementers with the innovative ideas they require. A rough estimate suggests that 30,000 people fit this category. Further, the media plays an important role in generating and transmitting views related to electoral reform. About 500 journalists are found in this category.

Justification:
EPIC is particularly innovative because it will contribute to the growing number of resources which are accessible around the globe through electronic means. Soon, election professionals will have an immense amount of election-related information at their keyboard. The data in EPIC, when combined with the information to be released in two other online projects, the Administration and Cost of Elections (ACE) Project and the Virtual F. Clifton White Resource Center Project, will be unprecedented. Background on these two projects follows:

The Administration and Cost of Elections (ACE) Project: A partnership effort between the United Nations, International IDEA, and IFES, the beta (draft) version of this web site and CD-ROM was released during events at the United Nations in October 1998. The product serves as a comprehensive source on election related topics, including:
electoral systems
legislative framework
electoral management
voter registration
voter education
parties and candidates
boundary delimitation
polling operations, and
vote counting.

The first of its type in the world, ACE contains over 5,000 pages of election-related text and sample materials from election institutions which are referenced in the text. As of early 1999, three additional topic areas are being constructed for the ACE Project: elections and the media; election technology; and election observation.

Virtual F. Clifton White Resource Center: Over the last two years, the F. Clifton White Resource Center at IFES has launched a strategy to 'virtualize' much its collection. Upon completion, users will have 24-hour, worldwide access to resources via the World Wide Web to collections of primary resources such as ballots, election posters, voter education materials, pollworker training material, and other secondary sources.

Of greatest importance in completing EPIC is that the partners will ensure that: the project does not duplicate what is already being done. This meets the iitial goal of the project, to minimize unnecessary duplication of other efforts in a field of study with limited human and financial resources. The final project plan must demonstrate clearly that new, complementary information is being generated through this project. If this is not the case, the validity of the project should be reviewed. Of note is that the information sought after has never been collected. By collecting and organizing this information, we will offer an array of comparative information which enhances the body of information being organized through other online project. The information being collected also serves a purpose in that it assists in filling information "holes" identified through various other research projects.

In the long term, the partners aim to integrate EPIC with the ACE Project, including the web site, CD-ROM, and other products which might be produced through it. From the beginning, the data sought after in EPIC will be divided into the categories currently found within the context of the ACE Project Web Site. With an expansion of topic areas proposed for ACE, EPIC will seek additional data for these topic areas as well, including election and the media; election technology; and election observation.