Virtual Conference – July 4-8, 2022

This free, online workshop will bring together academics and practitioners to discuss current challenges of electoral integrity around the globe, addressing questions such as: What role do elections play in this debate on democratic backsliding? What new challenges are elections facing? Have the practical challenges of organizing an election during a pandemic proven too strong?

Paper drafts due by email on 20, June 2022.

Paper givers will have the opportunity to have their papers considered for a Special Issue of Electoral Studies.

Programme

Monday, July 4, 2022

9:00 (EST) / 14:00 (BST): opening session

Chair: Toby James (University of East Anglia, Co-Director of the EIP)

The Global Electoral Integrity report recently published data on the quality of elections 2012-21. The report details the strengths and weaknesses of all parts of the electoral process in 480 elections in 169 countries around the world. It can be used by policy makers to target improvements to the quality of elections. The report comes at a time when there are global concerns about democratic backsliding. But how can international organisations, civil society and citizens go about bringing change?

Holly Ann Garnett will give an overview of the report. Massimo Tommasoli, International IDEA’s representative to the UN, will speak about the Democracy Summit and the work that is being done by the international community – and what others can do. Samson Itodo, Chief Executive of Yiaga Africa, will explain the work that Yiaga Africa has been doing in improving electoral integrity in Nigeria, and how civil society can play a key role in improving elections. The session should be a call to action for international organisations and civil society groups to continue to scrutinize electoral integrity around world and work to improve and protect democracy.

• Holly Ann Garnett (Royal Military College of Canada/Queen’s University, Co-Director of the EIP), An overview of global electoral integrity

• Massimo Tommasoli, PhD, Director, Global Programmes & Permanent Observer for International IDEA to the UN

• Samson Itodo, Executive Director, Yiaga Africa

14:00 (EST) / 19:00 (BST): Panel 1 - Building and Breaking Confidence in Elections

Chair: Juan Luis Manfredi (Georgetown University)

Discussant: Joseph Klaver (University of Michigan)

• Perceptions of electoral integrity among political elites: A journey into uncharted territory — Christian Schnaudt (University of Mannheim)

• Who challenges digitalized elections? — Iuliia Spycher-Krivonosova (Tallinn University of Technology)

• To Aggregate or Not?: Expert Perception Response to Election Integrity in Close Elections — Marcella Morris (Emory University), Ian Rebouças Batista (Federal University of Pernambuco), David Carroll (The Carter Center)

• Election integrity, political efficacy, and the meanings of voting — María Belén Abdala (University of Vienna), Anna Lia Brunetti (University of Vienna)

• The Impact of Voter Education on Voter Confidence: Evidence from the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election — Thessalia Merivaki (Mississippi University), Mara Suttmann-Lea (Connecticut College)

TUESDAY, July 5, 2022

9:00 (EST) / 14:00 (BST): Panel 2 - Electoral Backsliding? Threats to Electoral Integrity

Chair: José-Ignacio Hernández (Harvard University)

Discussant: Anna Lia Brunetti (University of Vienna)

• Electoral backsliding? A global overview and analysis of the drivers of electoral integrity trends — Holly Ann Garnett (Royal Military College/Queen’s University), Toby S. James (University of East Anglia)

• Extreme weather and electoral clientelism in Honduras — Ferran Martinez i Coma (Griffith University), Sarah Birch (King’s College)

• To the loser goes the spoils? Elections as a signal of opposition support — Morgan Wack (University of Washington), Nicolas Wittstock (University of Mannheim)

• Dynamics of democratic backsliding at elections: restricted, repressed, yet resilient? — Rebecca Wagner (Peace Research Institute Frankfurt)

14:00 (EST) / 19:00 (BST): Panel 3 - Electoral Backsliding? Country and Regional Case Studies

Chair: Carla Luís (CES, University of Coimbra)

Discussant: Merete Bech Seeberg (Aarhus University)

• An overview of electoral fairness in Sub-Saharan Africa: Introducing a new dataset — João Conduto (University of Lisbon)

• The Inter-American Democratic Charter and the electoral integrity conditions in Latin America: Too little, too late — Jose-Ignacio Hernández (Harvard University), Andrés Bello (Castilla-La Mancha University)

• Zimbabwe ahead of the 2023 harmonized elections — Rekai Rusinga (Zimbabwe Election Support Network)

• Policing Fraud in France: Balancing Political Realities while Monitoring Malfeasance – Joseph Klaver (University of Michigan), Walter Mebane, Jr. (University of Michigan)

• Diversity or distraction? How sham parties influence the electoral process in Hungary – Réka Várnagy (Corvinus University of Budapest), Anna Novák (Corvinus University of Budapest)

WEDNESDAY, July 6, 2022

9:00 (EST) / 14:00 (BST): Panel 4- Electoral Management

Chair: Daniela Donno (University of Cyprus)

Discussant: Aengus Bridgman (McGill University)

• Inequalities, electoral integrity, and the public funding of election administration — Alistair Clark (Newcastle University)

• Safer being feared than loved? The Electoral Superior Court of Brazil and its responses to the false claims of electoral fraud — Eduardo Borges Espínola Araújo (Federal University of Paraná)

• Electoral serendipity? An analysis on 2019 Istanbul repeat elections — Emre Toros (Hacettepe University)

• The toothless tiger: An overview of the structural and partisan issues that affect the Federal Election Commission — Karen Sebold (University of Arkansas)

• Design of street-level election bureaucracy and its consequences in a comparative perspective: Cases of Ukraine, Georgia, Poland, and Russia — Nazar Boyko (West Virginia University)

11:00 (EST) / 16:00 (BST): practitioner Plenary – Electoral Technology: Views on the Ground

Co-sponsored by the Human-Centric Cyber-Security Partnership, this practitioner plenary will consider the use of technology in electoral administration, focusing on some of the lesser-known technologies adopted in recent years. It will explore questions such as how officials decide whether to adopt new technologies, the choice of which to use, and the procurement and maintenance of these technologies. It seeks to better understand how these choices impact electoral administration, citizen experiences and electoral integrity more generally.

• Rokas Stabingis, Head of Law and Investigation Unit, Central Electoral Commission of Lithuania

• Júlio Valente, Information Technology Secretariat (STI) of the Superior Electoral Court (TSE), Brazil

• Cathy Darling Allen, Shasta County Clerk and Registrar of Voters, United States

• Arne Koitmäe, Head of the State Electoral Office, Estonia

14:00 (EST) / 19:00 (BST): Panel 5 - Elections During COVID-19

Chair: Rebecca Wagner (Peace Research Institute, Frankfurt)

Discussant: Amanda B. Edgell (University of Alabama)

• Electoral integrity resilience, natural disasters and COVID-19: Explaining variations in the effect of the pandemic on electoral integrity — Toby S. James (University of East Anglia), Holly Ann Garnett (Royal Military College/Queen’s University)

• Contagious turnout during infectious pandemic: A spatial analysis — Arya Budi (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)

• Electoral integrity in a pandemic and beyond: analysing electoral management in Portugal — Carla Luís (CES, University of Coimbra)

• The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on Argentine electoral integrity — Maria Celeste Ratto (National Council for Scientific and Technological Research of Argentina (CONICET)/ National University of Rio Negro)

• Building integrity: Impact of the COVID-19 on the electoral training — Pavel Cabacenco (Consultant)

THURSDAY, July 7, 2022

9:00 (EST) / 14:00 (BST): Panel 6 - Monitoring Elections

Chair: Alistair Clark (Newcastle University)

Discussant: Margarita Zavadskaya (University of Helsinki)

• Monitoring the role of technology companies in Elections: The 2019 UK General Election — Amber Macintyre (Tactical Technology), Kate Dommett (Sheffield University), Andrew Barclay (Sheffield University)

• Restoring the social trust in the electoral process through electoral observation: The Brazilian case — Ana Santano (University of Salamanca/Transparência Eleitroal Brasil)

• Competing verdicts: Multiple election monitors and post-election violence — Daniela Donno (University of Cyprus), Kelly Morrison (V-Dem Institute/University of Gothenburg), Burcu Savun (University of Pittsburgh), Perisa Davutoglu (University of Pittsburgh)

• Explaining Citizens’ Willingness to Serve a Volunteer Election Monitors — Lindsay Benstead (Portland State University), Stephanie Singer (Portland State University)

11:00 (EST) / 16:00 (BST): ROUNDtable- electoral observation during (and after) covid

Electoral processes around the world have had to change as a result of the pandemic, in order to protect electoral integrity. This practitioner panel will explore: how did electoral observation change during the pandemic? What worked? What didn’t? What lessons are there for the future during pandemic and emergency conditions? Are there lessons for electoral observation in general? A short paper describing some changes, based on the Covid and Elections Project, will be introduced by Erik Asplund. Other developments in the field of electoral observation will be discussed.

Chair: Toby S. James (University of East Anglia)

• Erik Asplund, International IDEA

• Holly Ruthrauff, Election Observation and Democracy Support (EODS) 

• Jonathan Stonestreet, Associate Director, Democracy Program, Carter Center

• Idrissa Kamara, African Union

14:00 (EST) / 19:00 (BST): Panel 7 - Confronting Disinformation

Chair: Jean-Nicolas Bordeleau (Université de Montréal)

Discussant: Morgan Wack (University of Washington)

• The Contagion of Electoral Disinformation Campaigns: American Style Vote Conspiracies in the 2021 Canadian Federal Election — Aengus Bridgman (McGill University), Mathieu Lavigne (McGill University)

• From the hate cabinet to 2022 Brazilian elections: what's next?  — Andressa Costa (University of Lisbon), Ana Bernardi (Fundação Escola de Sociologia e Politica de São Paulo), Sergio Barbosa (University of Coimbra), Samara Castro (Mackenzie University)

• Designing remedies against electoral misinformation on social media platforms in line with international human rights law — Dmitry Kurnosov (University of Helsinki)

• Unfair Competition: How States Use Disinformation to exercise Public Diplomacy — Juan Manfredi (Georgetown University)

FRIDAY, July 8, 2022

9:00 (EST) / 14:00 (BST): Panel 8 - Electoral Systems and their Reform

Chair: Karen Bird (McMaster University)

Discussant: Joanna Everitt (University of New Brunswick)

• Changing rules to always win the game: changes in presidential term limits rules and electoral integrity — Ian Rebouças Batista (Federal University of Pernambuco), Marcella Morris (Emory University), David Carroll (The Carter Center)

• Towards achieving electoral integrity: Reforming Zimbabwe’s electoral process — Valerie Rumbidzai Jeche (University of Zimbabwe)

• Organising electoral systems into peer groups and families: Avoiding indeterminacy and circularity, staying focused on input rules and mechanics — Will Sanders (Australian National University)

• Politics of Electoral Reform in Turkey: 1946-2018 — Zeynep Özge Iğdır (Sabancı University)

14:00 (EST) / 19:00 (BST): Panel 9 -   Voter Engagement and Participation

Chair: María Belén Abdala (University of Vienna)

Discussant: Clément Desrumaux (Université de Lyon)

• Voting rights for persons with disabilities in the European Union — where do we stand? — Armin Rabitsch (Election-Watch.EU), Michael Lidauer (Election-Watch.EU)

• Who Cares? The Age Gap in Voter Turnout Across Europe — Ayauzhan Kamatayeva (Deusto University)

• Does candidate diversity enhance voter democratic engagement? The case of candidate affinities on LGBTQ+ voter engagement and participation in Canadian Politics — Joanna Everitt (University of New Brunswick - Saint John), Karen Bird (McMaster University), Angelia Wagner (University of Alberta), Mireille Lalancette (Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières)

• Does political comedy work the same in new democracies? Evidence from Iraq — Raed Ahmed (The Iraqi University)

Details

Throughout the world, scholars and international organisations have voiced their concern in recent years that democracy appears to be ‘backsliding’ (Hellmeier et al. 2021; International IDEA 2021).  A Summit for Democracy was hosted by the United States to ‘set forth an affirmative agenda for democratic renewal and to tackle the greatest threats faced by democracies’.  Democracy defence coalitions have arisen in countries where democracy has long thought to be consolidated, such as the UK.  Cross-national data points to how autocratisation has turned ‘viral’ around the globe.

Elections are an indispensable part of the democratic process (Przeworski 1999; Dahl 1971). They give citizens an opportunity to elect their representatives, hold governments to account and shape policy making.  Yet it is well known there is enormous variation in the quality and inclusiveness of elections around the world (Norris 2014, 2015; Birch 2011; James and Garnett 2020; Norris 2017).  An electoral cycle approach shows that problems can vary from cases of electoral violence and voter intimidation, vote rigging, gerrymandered electoral districts, incomplete electoral registers, through to under-resourced electoral officials and poorly designed adjudication processes and more

So, what role do elections play in this debate on democratic backsliding? What new challenges are elections facing?  Has the increasing availability of technology facilitated micro-targeting which emboldens the power of parties and social media companies?  Have voter suppression methods evolved?  Have the practical challenges of organising an election during a pandemic proven too strong?

Or have there been innovations in the field of elections been developed which have acted to preserve electoral integrity?  Have electoral officials adapted to pandemic conditions to still successfully deliver elections?  Has technology opened up new ways to expand participation and inclusiveness at elections?  ‘What works’ in preserving electoral integrity in the new environment?

PRACTICAL LOGISTICS

Last year’s annual conference took the online format because of the pandemic.  However, the online format was enormously popular, successful and enable the conference to reach new audiences.  Over 300 delegates registered and took part in discussions about electoral integrity around the globe.

This year’s annual conference will also therefore take an online only format.  Panels will be arranged to accommodate multiple timezones with panels taking place across the week.

As well as standard thematic paper panels with discussants, there will be practitioner and civil society roundtables and opportunities to connect with old/new colleagues and friends around the globe.

Conference registration will be free to all paper presenters and delegates.

We would like to remind you that a copy of your written paper for the workshop is due by 20 June, as a condition of inclusion in the program. This requirement allows discussants and all other participants to read work in advance, maximizing time and opportunities for feedback and discussion. Please send these copies to electoralintegrity@gmail.com, as well as to the discussant of your panel.

Publication Plans on Electoral Backsliding

Papers will have the opportunity to be considered for as part of a special issue of Electoral Studies on Electoral Backsliding

Papers for the special issue should address:

• Trends in the quality of elections around the world, within regions or countries

• What new challenges and threats to electoral integrity have emerged?

• What can be done to improve or defend electoral integrity?

Again, papers are welcome covering any aspect of the electoral cycle.

Bibliography

Birch, Sarah. 2011. Electoral Malpractice (Oxford University Press: Oxford).

Dahl, Robert. 1971. Polyarchy: Participation and Opposition (Yale University Press: New Haven).

Hellmeier, Sebastian, Rowan Cole, Sandra Grahn, Palina Kolvani, Jean Lachapelle, Anna Lührmann, Seraphine F. Maerz, Shreeya Pillai, and Staffan I. Lindberg. 2021. 'State of the world 2020: autocratization turns viral', Democratization: 1-22.

International IDEA. 2021. "Global State of Democracy Report 2021: Building Resilience in a Pandemic Era " In. Stockholm: International IDEA.

James, Toby S., and Holly Ann Garnett. 2020. 'Introduction: the case for inclusive voting practices', Policy Studies, 41: 113-30.

Norris, Pippa. 2014. Why Electoral Integrity Matters (Cambridge University Press: New York).

———. 2015. Why Elections Fail (Cambridge University Press: New York).

———. 2017. Strengthening Electoral Integrity: The Pragmatic Case for Electoral Assistance (Cambridge University Press: New York).

Przeworski, Adam. 1999. 'Minimalist Conception of Democracy: A Defence.' in Ian Shapiro and Casiano Hacker-Cordon (ed.), Democracy's Value (Cambridge University Press.  [Reprinted in Robert A. Dahl et al (eds) The Democracy Sourcebook]: Cambridge).