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Site Content Overview
Click on any of the below questions that are similar to what you want to find out or scroll down this page to find the contents.
I’m working at an Electoral Commission in Western Africa and we have been ordered to enable absentee voting for the upcoming elections. What options are available when setting up facilities for absentee voting? Are there any examples from other African countries?
Which countries allow their citizens to vote from outside the country?
What is the difference between the Single Transferable Vote and the Single-Non Transferable Vote?
Are there any workshops or conferences related to gender coming up in Southern Africa?
I want to test my knowledge of electoral systems, how do I do it?
I have heard that Gambian voters vote with marbles instead of ballot papers. Is that true?
What are the disadvantages of using voter identification cards for voter registration?
Contents
(Click on any heading to jump to that section)
The
components of the ACE website
Elections Today
The ACE Encyclopaedia
Comparative Data
Electoral Materials
Electoral Advice
Regions & Countries
Finding information about elections
Recent and upcoming elections in the
world
Recent and upcoming elections in a specific
region
Recent and upcoming elections in a
specific country
Voter turnout
Finding
information about a specific country or region
News
Research papers and case studies
Election-related data
Electoral materials
ACE Encyclopaedia
Political Finance
Quotas for women
Information
about a specific topic
The ACE Encyclopaedia
Electoral Advice
Election-related data on a specific
country or region
General election-related data
Finding
election-related documents
The
structure and organisation of ACE
Using the breadcrumbs
Using the frames
Registering for the newsletter
Finding
information about events
View the
site in another language
Additional
features of the ACE website
The components of the ACE website
Elections Today
The Elections
Today component has three main features:
1) An election calendar with the dates of all upcoming first-order elections around the world.
2) Feature articles about election-related issues.
3) Special events, such as conferences, trainings, seminars and elections observations.
Also, through its quarterly global newsletter, Elections Today provides direct access to news about newly published books, websites and other information resources and highlights new postings on the ACE Electoral Knowledge Network website.
The ACE Encyclopaedia
The ACE
Encyclopaedia is an online repository of information covering 12 topic
areas in elections management, with an emphasis on the sustainability,
professionalism and trust in the electoral process.
Topic Areas
These topics contain subcategories with more detailed information. The ACE Encyclopaedia also includes interactive electoral quizzes and comprehensive coverage of timely topics in elections.
ACE Focus on...
The Encyclopaedia also contains the ACE Focus on... section. The "Focus on" series aims to explore in greater detail cross-cutting issues referenced in the ACE Electoral Knowledge Network. A subject matter specialist introduces each topic, highlights issues and sample materials in ACE and identifies additional online resources for users to research more information. Some examples of Focus On… issues are: HIV/AIDS and Elections; E-Voting; Elections and Disability; Direct Democracy; and Cost of Registration and Elections. New issues are continuously developed by the ACE Partner organizations.
Comparative Data
The Comparative
Data component provides a systematic collection of how countries manage
their elections. By presenting information about various topics, users are able
to compare, and identify common practice within electoral administration. In
total, there are eleven separate topics:
Topic Areas
To access the data, click on one of the topics to the right or use the menu on the left-side frame of the Comparative Data page. To view data for one country or to compare data of two countries, select the countries of choice in the drop-down menus at the top of the page. To view data for all countries on a specific question, click on that question.
Electoral Materials
The Electoral
Materials component is a virtual library that serves as a focal point for sharing knowledge and
information on elections, gathering a continuously
updated collection of sample electoral materials from around the world. The
database is being populated with a variety of sample election materials.
Sample materials include:
laws and regulations
ballot papers
training manuals
election posters
policy papers
country case studies
electoral observation reports
technical assessments
administrative guidelines
electoral forms
codes of conduct
...and much more
To find electoral materials, visit the Election Materials page of the ACE website. To search for materials, you can search by entering “keywords” – a word or short phrase describing the material you are looking for. You can also choose to search by Region/Country, Topic Area or Document Type (or a combination of the three). Simply make your choice with the help of the drop-down menus on the main page.
Electoral Advice
The main part of the Electoral Advice component is the Practitioners’ Network, a feature that brings together election professionals from different countries - with diverse and complementary experience and specialisation - into the first ever global knowledge network established in the field of elections.
The aim of this global community of electoral practitioners is to generate, share and disseminate specialised knowledge, resources and expertise to promote professional, effective and sustainable management and administration of elections.
You can share the knowledge provided by the practitioners in three ways:
Examples of consolidated replies
1) Use the “Ask a Question” function, located at the top of the left-side frame of the Electoral Advice component. The question will be sent to the members of the Practitioner’s network. A consolidated reply to your question, generated by the interaction of the members of the Practitioners' Network, will be emailed to you and posted in the consolidated replies section of the Electoral Advice component.
2) Browse through the Consolidated replies of previous questions put forth to the network. The consolidated replies can be accessed by using the link at the top of the left-side frame of the Electoral Advice component.
3) Browse through the “Did you know” section by clicking on any of the texts under the Did you know? Heading in the right-side frame of the page.
Regions & Countries
This section provides access to regional and country-level resources and direct access to a network of Regional Electoral Resource Centres. The Regional Centres does research and conduct regional capacity development and networking events for their relevant regions.
ACE Regional Centres
Each Regional Centre
has a regional centre page which highlights regional events, news and reforms relevant to the electoral community.
To access information about a specific country, go to the Regions & Countries component and select the country in the drop-down menu in the middle of the page.
To access information about a specific region, choose the corresponding Regional Centre page in the drop-down menu located in the left-side frame of the page.
Finding information about elections
Recent and upcoming elections in the world
Information on the dates and types of recent and upcoming elections can be found in the Elections Calendar under the Elections Today component of the ACE website. The Election Calendar displays the date and type of all elections scheduled for this year. By clicking on the flags of a country, you will be taken to a specific country page where you can find out more about the country and its recent and upcoming elections.
Recent and upcoming elections in a specific region
Information about recent and upcoming elections in a specific region can be found by accessing the Regional Centre pages in the Regions & Countries component. Currently there are nine Regional Centres, covering the areas of Central America, South America, Western Africa, Central Africa, Eastern Africa, Southern Africa, South-East Asia, Arab World and Central and Eastern Europe. Each Regional Centre page contains information about recent and upcoming elections in the region. More information about the Regional Centres can be found here.
Recent and upcoming elections in a specific country
To access information about recent and upcoming elections in a specific country, visit the specific country page in the Regions & Countries component by using the drop-down menu at the top of the page. Most country pages will have information on recent and upcoming elections on their main page. Additional information can be found under election reports or election materials headings available in the bottom of the right frame of the page[1]. Added to that, information on the country’s elections can be found under the election-related links heading in the right frame of the page. Finally, information could be found in the corresponding Regional Centre page of the country. More information about the Regional Centres can be found here.
Voter turnout
To find out the voter turnout of a specific election, please do any of the following:
1) Go to the country page of the specific country that
the election was held in. Click on the “IDEA
Voter Turnout” link under the election databases heading on the left-side
frame of the page.
2) Go directly to the IDEA Voter Turnout page at www.idea.int/vt. Choose an alternative in the left-side menu.
Finding information on a specific country or region
To find general information – such as the type of electoral system or the number of seats in Parliament – about a specific country or region, go to the Regions & Countries component and use the drop-down menu at the top (to choose a country) or on the left-hand side (to choose a region).
News
To find electoral news for a specific country or region, go to the specific country page or to the Regional Centre page of the Regions & Countries component. At the right frame of the page, election-related news will be posted under the electoral news heading.
Research papers and case studies
To find research
papers or case studies on a specific country or region, go to the specific
country or Regional Centre page
in the Regions & Countries component
of the website. On the left-side frame of the page, research papers and case
studies will be published under the case studies heading.[2]
You can also use the
search function in the top-right
corner of the ACE web page, just under the ACE logo.
Still not finding what you are looking for? Try browsing the ACE Encyclopaedia.
Election-related data
To access election-related data on a specific country, go to the specific country page in the Regions & Countries of the ACE website and click on the comparative data drop-down menu located on the right-side frame of the page. There are eleven different topics to choose from:
Topic Areas
Try to choose the topic best related to the information you are looking for. For example, to see who is responsible for boundary delimitation in Zambia, choose the Boundary Delimitation topic.
You could also go directly to the Comparative data component of the ACE website and choose any of the above topics from the left-side frame of the page.
For data regarding the financing of political parties, go to the specific country page in the Regions & Countries component of the ACE website and choose the IDEA Political Finance database located on the left-side frame of the page. You could also access the database directly at www.idea.int/parties/finance/db.
For data regarding quotas for women, go to the specific country page in the Regions & Countries component of the ACE website and choose the Quotas for Women database located on the left-side frame of the page. You could also access the database directly at www.quotaproject.org.
Electoral materials
Sample materials include:
laws and regulations
ballot papers
training manuals
election posters
policy papers
country case studies
electoral observation reports
technical assessments
administrative guidelines
electoral forms
codes of conduct
...and much more
Electoral materials are various kinds of documents related to elections – anything from ballot papers and constitutions to election posters and stickers. To find electoral materials for a specific country or region, go to the specific country or Regional Centre page in the Regions & Countries component of the ACE website. All relevant documents will be found under the electoral materials heading in the right-side frame of the page. [3]
Are you looking for electoral materials not related to a specific country? Click here.
You can also use the search function in the top-right corner of the ACE web page, just under the ACE logo.
Still not finding what you are looking for? Try looking under the case studies heading in the right-side frame or browse the ACE Encyclopaedia.
ACE Encyclopaedia
The ACE Encyclopaedia contains information regarding a wide array of election-related topic areas. To find information from the Encyclopaedia for a specific country or region, go to the specific country or Regional Centre page in the Regions & Countries component. All relevant documents will be found under the electoral materials heading in the right-side frame of the page. [4]
Political Finance
For data regarding the financing of political parties, go to the specific country page in the Regions & Countries component of the ACE website and choose the IDEA Political Finance database located on the left-side frame of the page. You could also access the database directly at www.idea.int/parties/finance/db.
Quotas for women
For data regarding quotas for women, go to the specific country page in the Regions & Countries component of the ACE website and choose the Quotas for Women database located on the left-side frame of the page. You could also access the database directly at www.quotaproject.org.
Voter turnout
For data regarding voter turnout, go to the specific country page in the Regions & Countries of the ACE website and choose the IDEA Voter Turnout database located on the left-side frame of the page. You could also access the database directly at www.idea.int/vt.
Information about a specific topic
The ACE Encyclopaedia
If you are looking for information regarding a particular election-related topic, for example the pros and cons of the FPTP system, visit the ACE Encyclopaedia component of the ACE website. At the Encyclopaedia, there are two main sources of information:
1) The ACE topic areas
The topic areas are
twelve broad categories of election-related information, covering most aspects
of elections.
Topic Areas
The twelve categories are divided further into sub-categories. Try to find the topic area related to the information you are looking for and continue by browsing through that area. For example, to read about the difference between the Single Transferable Vote and the Single-Non Transferable Vote, choose the Electoral Systems topic. To read about the advantages and disadvantages of using voter identification cards for voter registration, choose the Voter Registration topic.
2) The ACE Focus on…
The Focus on…
articles covers a wide variety of areas, written by subject matter specialists.
Although limited in numbers, the focus on… articles highlights issues and
sample materials in ACE and identifies additional online resources for users to
research more information.
You can also use the search function in the top-right corner of the ACE web page, just under the ACE logo.
Electoral Advice
Examples of consolidated replies
If you have a context-specific and complex question that you cannot find the answer to, use the “Ask a Question” function of the ACE website, located at the top of the left-side frame of the Electoral Advice component. The question will be sent to the members of the Practitioners’ Network – a group of electoral experts forming a knowledge-sharing network in the scope of the ACE project. A consolidated reply to your question, generated by the interaction of the members of the Practitioners' Network, will be emailed to you and posted in the consolidated replies section of the Electoral Advice component.
Before submitting a question to the Practitioners’ Network, please read useful tips to know before submitting a question and browse through the consolidated replies.
You can also use the search function in the top-right corner of the ACE web page, just under the ACE logo.
Finding election-related data
Election-related data on a specific country or region
To obtain election-related data on a specific country or region, visit the specific country or Regional Centre page in the Regions & Countries component of the ACE website. There are various forms of data available on specific countries/regions:
1) Comparative data
To access comparative data on a specific country, click on the comparative data drop-down menu located on the right-side frame of the page. There are eleven different topics to choose from:
Topic Areas
You could also go directly to the Comparative Data component of the ACE website and choose any of the above topics from the left-side frame of the page.
If you are looking for a specific type of data you can use the search function in the top-right corner of the ACE web page, just under the ACE logo.
2) Voter turnout
To find out the voter turnout of a specific country, click on the IDEA Voter Turnout database under the election databases heading on the left-side frame of the page. You could also access the database directly at www.idea.int/vt.
3) Political Finance
For data regarding the financing of political parties, click on the IDEA Political Finance database under the election databases heading on the left-side frame of the page. You could also access the database directly at www.idea.int/parties/finance/db.
4) Quotas for Women
For data regarding quotas for women, click on the Quotas for Women database under the election databases heading on the left-side frame of the page. You could also access the database directly at www.quotaproject.org.
General election-related data
1) Comparative data
The Comparative
Data component provides a systematic collection of how countries manage
their elections. By presenting information about various topics, users are able
to compare, and identify common practice within electoral administration. In
total, there are eleven separate topic areas.
Topic Areas
Try to choose the topic best related to the information you are looking for. For example, to see which countries that allow their citizens to vote from outside the country, choose the Voting Operations topic.
To obtain data for one country or to compare data of two countries, select the countries of choice in the drop-down menus at the top of the page.
To obtain data for all countries on a specific question, click on that question.
2) Voter turnout
To obtain data on voter turnout, visit the IDEA Voter Turnout database at www.idea.int/vt.
3) Political Finance
To obtain data on financing political parties, visit the IDEA Political Finance database at www.idea.int/parties/finance/db.
4) Quotas for Women
To obtain data on quotas for women, visit the Global Database of Quotas for Women at www.quotaproject.org.
Finding election-related documents
If you are looking for country-specific election-related documents, see Information about a specific country or region. If you are looking for non-country-specific election-related documents, there are two main alternatives:
The ACE Encyclopaedia
Go to the ACE Encyclopaedia component of the ACE website. At the Encyclopaedia, there are two main sources of information:
The ACE topic areas
The topic areas are twelve broad categories of election-related information, covering most aspects of elections:
Topic Areas
The twelve categories are divided further into sub-categories. Try to find the topic area related to the information you are looking for and continue by browsing through that topic area. Relevant documents can be found in the right-hand frame of the page.
The ACE Focus on…
The Focus
on… articles covers a wide variety of areas, written by subject matter
specialists. Although limited in numbers, the focus on… articles highlights
issues and sample materials in ACE and identifies additional online resources
for users to research more information. Relevant documents can be found in the
right-hand frame of the page.
You can also use the search function in the top-right corner of the ACE web page, just under the ACE logo.
Electoral Materials
Electoral materials are various kinds of documents related to elections – anything from ballot papers and constitutions to election posters and stickers. To find electoral materials, visit the Electoral Materials component of the ACE website. To search for materials, you can either search by entering “keywords” – a word or short phrase describing the material you are looking for. You can also choose to search by Region/Country, Topic Area or Document Type (or a combination of the three). Simply make your choice with the help of the drop-down menus on the main page.
The Practitioner’s Network
The Practitioners’ Network brings together election professionals from different countries - with diverse and complementary experience and specialisation - into the first ever global knowledge network established in the field of elections.
The aim of this global community of electoral practitioners is to generate, share and disseminate specialised knowledge, resources and expertise to promote professional, effective and sustainable management and administration of elections.
Examples of consolidated replies
As a user, you can access the most recent consolidated replies generated by the interaction of the members of the Practitioners' Network; you can browse through all the consolidated replies; or you can submit a question to the members of the network.
You can share the knowledge provided by the practitioners in three ways:
1) Use the “Ask a
Question” function, located at the top of the left-side frame of the Electoral Advice component.
The question will be sent to the members of the Practitioner’s network.
A consolidated
reply to your question, generated by the interaction of the members of
the Practitioners' Network, will be emailed to you and posted in the
consolidated replies section of the Electoral Advice component.
2) Browse through the Consolidated replies of previous questions put forth to the network. The consolidated replies can be accessed by using the link at the top of the left-side frame of the Electoral Advice component.
3) Browse through the “Did you know” section by clicking on any of the texts under the Did you know? Heading in the right-side frame of the page.
The structure and organisation of ACE
To find information about the structure and organisation of ACE, please visit the about ace section, which can be accessed by clicking on the link at the very top-right corner of the ACE website. At the about ace section, you can read more about the organisations participating in the ACE project, the people working with ACE and some words about privacy policy and copyright issues. Use the right-hand and left-hand frames to choose different alternatives.
Navigating the ACE website
Using the breadcrumbs
When surfing the ACE website, you can easily keep track of your whereabouts by looking at the breadcrumbs located just above the main page (just below the search button). After the text “you are here:”, you will see the structure of the page you are currently visiting. To move back to an earlier site, just click on the text. To return to the main page of the website, click on the ace logo in the top-left corner of the page.
Using the frames
When navigating the ACE website, most alternatives and options are viewable by looking at the left-side and right-side frames of the page. To navigate using the frames, just click on them.
ACE Newsletters
The ACE newsletters provide you with information about upcoming events in the field of elections and the development of the ACE network and website. There are two types of newsletters; the global newsletter (covering global electoral news and the ACE network in general) and the regional newsletters (providing more detailed information on specific regions).
To read previous editions of the newsletters, please visit the newsletter archives.
Registering for the newsletter
To register for the ACE global newsletter, please click here or go to the Elections Today component and click on the link saying “register to subscribe” in the left-side frame of the page. To register for any of the ACE regional newsletters, go to the Regions & Countries component and use the box in the right-side frame of the page.
Finding information about events
Information on election-related happenings and events around the world can be found in two places:
1) Elections today
At the Elections Today component of the ACE website, election-related events are listed under the special events heading.
2) Regional Centre pages
For information on regional or country-specific events, go to a Regional Centre page in the Regions & Countries component and look at the Upcoming regional events section in the middle of the page.
View the site in another language
To view the ACE website in another language than English, please use the drop-down menu at the top-right corner of the website. Unfortunately, all pages have not yet been translated into all language. If you request a page that does not have a translation to your language, you will be taken to the English version of the page.
Additional features of the ACE website
Electoral Quizzes
How much do you know about voter registration, or electoral systems? Which principles should be used to guide the delimitation process? What is a reasonable time to publish interim election results? Which is the technology most widely used by all electoral management bodies around the world? The ACE Encyclopaedia includes an interactive electoral quiz for each topic area where you can test your electoral knowledge. The quizzes available can be found at the right-hand frame of the ACE Encyclopaedia component.
Contacting the ACE Network
To
contact the ACE network, please use the contact form or email the ACE
facilitators.
[1] If you cannot find a heading named election reports or election materials, it means that there are no documents available on that particular country or region.
[2] If you cannot find a heading named case studies, it means that there are no documents available on that particular country or region.
[3] If you cannot find a heading named electoral materials, it means that there are no documents available on that particular country or region.
[4] If you cannot find a heading named ace encyclopaedia, it means that there are no documents available on that particular country or region.
