Electoral Integrity Project 2013 Annual Workshop

Date: 

Mon - Tue, Jun 3 to Jun 4, 9:00am - 5:00pm

Location: 

Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, Harvard University, CGIS-South, 1730 Cambridge Street, Cambridge

About the Project
The second annual Workshop of Electoral Integrity will focus upon “Concepts and Indices of Electoral Integrity.”

Countries around the world share challenges in meeting international standards of electoral integrity. The most overt malpractices used by rulers include imprisoning dissidents, harassing adversaries, coercing voters, vote-rigging counts, and finally, if losing, blatantly disregarding the people’s choice. Serious violations of human rights, undermining electoral credibility, are widely condemned by domestic observers and the international community. Recent protests about integrity have been mobilized in countries as diverse as Russia, Mexico, and Egypt.

In many countries, however, minor irregularities are more common, exemplified by inaccurate voter registers, maladministration of polling, pro-government media, lack of security in absentee ballots, vote miscounts, and gerrymandering. Problems in America are exemplified by the notorious hanging chads in Florida in 2000 and accusations of voter fraud and voter suppression during the Obama-Romney contest.

In response to these developments, recent years have seen growing attempts to analyze flaws in electoral integrity using systematic evidence, including the development of several cross-national data-sets, the use of techniques of forensic analysis, and new instruments monitoring mass and elite perceptions of malpractices.

As it is timely to take stock of these developments, this workshop seeks to bring together international experts among scholars and practitioners to discuss cutting edge research on electoral integrity. This event is co-sponsored by the IPSA-ECP Research Committee on Citizens, Elections and Parties; the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs; and the Australian Research Council Laureate Award. For further information and to register, please visit www.electoralintegrityproject.com.