International IDEA 74d ago

In this episode, Adhy Aman of International IDEA speaks with Arief Budiman, former Chairman of the Indonesian General Elections Commission, about the rising cost of elections, drawing on discussions from the 2025 International Workshop on Electoral Efficiency and Sustainability held in Bandung, Indonesia. The conversation explores why election expenses continue to grow in large and geographically complex democracies like Indonesia, including pressures from population size, logistics across remote areas, migration, and overseas voting. They examine how electoral management bodies balance cost, security, accessibility, accountability and public trust, as well as the role technology can play in improving efficiency while introducing new risks. The episode also reflects on elections as an investment in democratic stability and looks ahead to whether electoral processes are likely to become more or less expensive in the coming decades.