Perceptions of Electoral Integrity

The expert survey of Perceptions of Electoral Integrity (PEI) focuses upon independent nation-states around the world which have held national presidential or parliamentary elections during the prior six months. The twenty elections analyzed in this pilot study cover the period from 1 July to 31st December 2012. For each country, the project identified around forty election experts, defined as a political scientist (or other social scientist in a related discipline) who had demonstrated knowledge of the electoral process in a particular country (such as through publications, membership of a relevant research group or network, or university employment). The response rate was around 30%. The idea of electoral integrity is defined by the project to refer to agreed international conventions and global norms, applying universally to all countries worldwide through the election cycle, including during the pre-election period, the campaign, on polling day, and its aftermath. To measure this concept, the PEI pilot survey questionnaire includes fifty items on electoral integrity ranging over the whole electoral cycle. These items fell into eleven sequential sub-dimensions.