Lisbon – July 2020
As you may have already heard, IPSA has decided to postpone their event for July 2021, and we are planning to do the same. Current paper-givers will keep their papers on the programme. Later in 2020, we will contact you to confirm whether you will still take part, and if so, whether your paper title/abstract has changed. After we have received notice from those already scheduled to participate, we may open a second call for papers to fill remaining spots.
We will share more information as it becomes available, but we look forward to continuing this great discussion on “Delivering Trusted Elections”, albeit on a different timeline!
Keep safe! Many thanks, Holly Ann Garnett, Toby S. James & Carla Luis
Drawing on previous year’s successful workshops, bringing together academics and practitioner on the study of elections and democracy, The Electoral Management Network is proud to announce a workshop preceding the 2020 meeting of the International Political Science Association.
Date: July 24, 2020
Location: Venue TBC, Lisbon, Portugal
Academic co-chairs: Holly Ann Garnett (Royal Military College of Canada), Toby James (University of East Anglia, UK) & Carla Luis (Centre for Social Studies, Portugal).
Partners: Electoral Management Network, Carter Center, IFES, Centre for Social Studies, Electoral Integrity Project, University of East Anglia
Theme: Delivering Trusted Elections: New Challenges in Electoral Management
The challenge of running elections amounts to the largest peacetime logistical operation, with the highest possible stakes. Realising well-run elections are often achieved by electoral officials around the world in the most difficult circumstances. But often electoral integrity is undermined by poor management, insufficient resources and problematic administrative systems.
Academic interest took off in the USA in light of troubled elections such as the 2000 US Presidential election. The expanding work of the international community in the field of electoral assistance has left a heavy imprint of grey literature on best practice (Carothers, 2003) and scholarship on that work (Lührmann, 2018). Cross-national work on electoral management has also ploughed new lines of enquiry (Garnett, 2017, 2019a; James, 2020; Toby S. James, Holly Ann Garnett, Leontine Loeber, & Carolien van Ham, 2019).
Elections, however, are facing new challenges. Austerity agendas have restricted resources to electoral management bodies in some countries. Public confidence in governmental institutions are often thought to be under threat. Social media has led to concerns about disinformation throughout the electoral cycle.
This workshop will include papers on themes including (but not limited to):
- Election Administration (Voter registration, alternative voting measures, the use of technology)
- Electoral Regulation (campaign finance, media regulation, dis-and mis-information)
- Contentious Elections (electoral violence, election observation, post-election protects, dispute resolution, electoral justice)
- Electoral Management (electoral management body design, training and capacity EMB performance and methods to improve it)
Previous workshops have led to special issues in International Political Science Review (2019), Election Law (forthcoming) and Policy Studies (on inclusive voting forthcoming). Paper givers will have the opportunity to have their papers considered for another edited volume or special issue.
Paper proposals have now closed. Registration links will be available shortly.
