Dialogue Fiji has called on the Electoral Commission to reconsider its reported proposal to redesign Fiji’s ballot paper to include candidate names, photographs and party information, warning the move could create significant logistical, financial and administrative challenges without improving electoral integrity.
In a submission to the Commission, Executive Director Nilesh Lal said while the organisation supports continuous improvements to Fiji’s electoral system, reforms should be evidence-based, practical and address genuine shortcomings.
“Electoral reform should solve genuine problems. Before introducing major changes to the ballot paper, it is important to establish whether the existing system is actually failing and whether the proposed solution creates more problems than it resolves,” he said.
Dialogue Fiji said international electoral standards emphasise that ballot papers should not provide any candidate with an unfair advantage.
The organisation noted that research worldwide has shown ballot design can influence election outcomes through factors such as candidate placement, prominence, spacing and visual hierarchy.
Lal said Fiji’s current system, where candidate numbers are allocated through a public lottery, ensures fairness by giving every candidate an equal chance.
“The current system, whereby candidate numbers are allocated through a public lottery, ensures complete randomisation. No candidate benefits from alphabetical order, party hierarchy or incumbency. Every candidate begins the election on an equal footing, which is a fundamental element of electoral fairness.”
Dialogue Fiji also questioned the practicality of introducing candidate photographs and names on the ballot paper under Fiji’s electoral system.
It said with Fiji electing 55 Members of Parliament from a single nationwide constituency and ten registered political parties currently eligible to contest the next election, there could potentially be around 550 candidates if each party nominates the maximum number allowed.
According to the organisation, accommodating photographs, names, party logos and candidate numbers for all candidates could require a ballot paper approaching or exceeding internationally recognised large-format paper sizes.
“At that point, we are no longer talking about an ordinary ballot paper. We are talking about something resembling a tablecloth.”
Dialogue Fiji said similar proposals had reportedly been considered before the 2014 General Election, when there were 248 candidates, but were not pursued because Fiji lacked the capability to print ballot papers of that size.
The organisation warned that oversized ballot papers would create operational difficulties across the election process.
“Polling booths would need redesigning. Voters would require more time to unfold, search, mark and refold ballots. Longer voting times mean longer queues. Counting would become slower, storage more cumbersome, transportation more difficult and ballot secrecy potentially more difficult to preserve if voters struggle to handle exceptionally large ballot papers.”
It also challenged the assumption that including photographs would make voting easier.
“The Electoral Commission appears to assume that photographs make voting easier. In reality, asking a voter to find one face among 550 photographs on a tablecloth-sized ballot is far more difficult than asking them to find a candidate number on a simple A4-sized ballot. The proposal risks replacing a simple search with an extraordinarily complex one.”
Dialogue Fiji also raised concerns over the financial implications of the proposal, warning that if ballots cannot be printed locally, secure overseas printing would likely be required, increasing costs through specialised printing, freight, insurance, customs clearance and nationwide distribution.
“At a time when the country faces significant fiscal pressures and ordinary Fijians are struggling with the cost of living, public money should be directed towards reforms that deliver measurable improvements to electoral integrity, not towards an expensive redesign of a ballot paper that is already functioning effectively.”
The organisation argued that the issue the Commission is attempting to address has already been resolved through voter education measures.
Lal said Dialogue Fiji had previously proposed placing official candidate information booklets containing candidate photographs, names, party affiliations and candidate numbers at polling stations, a recommendation that was later adopted.
“The current system already allows voters to verify candidate information before casting their vote while preserving a simple, manageable and neutral ballot paper.”
Dialogue Fiji also cautioned against introducing major electoral changes so close to the next General Election, saying a redesigned ballot paper would require an extensive nationwide voter education campaign to avoid confusion and invalid votes.
“Election administration should evolve where genuine problems exist. However, there is little objective evidence that Fiji’s current ballot paper is failing. Before embarking on what could become one of the most expensive and logistically complex ballot redesigns in Fiji’s history, the Electoral Commission should first demonstrate that there is a clearly defined problem which cannot be addressed through simpler, less costly alternatives.”
Dialogue Fiji has formally requested the Electoral Commission reconsider the proposal and instead continue strengthening voter education and candidate information materials while retaining the current ballot paper format.
