06 May 2008
Free and Fair Elections
(The following one-pager is taken from the U.S. Department of State publication, Principles of Democracy.)
Free and fair elections allow people living in a representative democracy to determine the political makeup and future policy direction of their nation's government.
• Free and fair elections increase the likelihood of a peaceful transfer of power. They help to ensure that losing candidates will accept the validity of the election's results and cede power to the new government.
• Elections alone do not assure democracy since dictators can use the resources of the state to tamper with the election process.
• Free and fair elections require:
-- Universal suffrage for all eligible men and women to vote – democracies do not restrict this right from minorities, the disabled, or give it only to those who are literate or who own property.
-- Freedom to register as a voter or run for public office.
-- Freedom of speech for candidates and political parties – democracies do not restrict candidates or political parties from criticizing the performance of the incumbent.
-- Numerous opportunities for the electorate to receive objective information from a free press.
-- Freedom to assemble for political rallies and campaigns.
-- Rules that require party representatives to maintain a distance from polling places on election day – election officials, volunteer poll workers, and international monitors may assist voters with the voting process but not the voting choice.
-- An impartial or balanced system of conducting elections and verifying election results – trained election officials must either be politically independent or those overseeing elections should be representative of the parties in the election.
-- Accessible polling places, private voting space, secure ballot boxes, and transparent ballot counting.
-- Secret ballots – voting by secret ballot ensures that an individual's choice of party or candidate cannot be used against him or her.
-- Legal prohibitions against election fraud – enforceable laws must exist to prevent vote tampering (e.g. double counting, ghost voting).
-- Recount and contestation procedures – legal mechanisms and processes to review election processes must be established to ensure that elections were conducted properly.
• Voting methods – varying by country and even within countries – include:
-- Paper ballots – votes are marked on or punched through paper.
-- Ballots with pictures of candidates or party symbols so that illiterate citizens may cast the correct vote.
-- Electronic systems – voters use touch-screen or push-button machines.
-- Absentee ballots – allowing those who will not be able to vote on election day to cast their ballots prior to the election.
