As Egyptian political and civil society leaders review the country’s first competitive presidential election, a number of serious shortcomings are evident in the management of the election process as a whole. There is still time for Egyptian civil society to push for changes before November’s parliamentary elections, but the effort must begin immediately, must be collaborative, and must be bolstered by the international community’s pressure on the Egyptian government.

The following is a checklist, highlighting major—and feasible—improvements in the overall administration of the electoral process.

A.The election administration must be non-partisan.
a.An election administration elected by Egyptian judges, rather than appointed by the executive branch would be more readily accepted as legitimate.
b.The locations of all polling stations—both central and subsidiary—must be made public for the benefit of voters, civil society actors, and all political parties (not just the NDP).

B.The administration of the election must be transparent.
a.It essential that a declaration is made now, allowing domestic and international delegations of monitors to observe the entire electoral process from candidate registration to the counting of ballots.
b.A full list of all registered voters, providing name, address and profession should be made available to all political parties and civil society monitors.

C.The election administration must be designed to serve the voters’ convenience of participation and instill confidence in the election process.
a.The telephone numbers and addresses of all responsible officials and departments must be made available for political parties and citizens requesting information or seeking resolution of problems.
b.Rules on voter registration must be made clear to citizens.
c.A comprehensive list of all parliamentary candidates should be made available.
d.Transparent ballot boxes should be introduced for all poling places.
e.Indelible ink should be used in all polling stations to prevent multiple voting.