Since the mid-1980s, there have been substantial structural and procedural changes in the way elections are conducted around the world, such as the growing numbers of independent and permanent electoral administration bodies, and the increasing use of new technologies to deliver electoral services. Electoral reform has often been part of a package of general democratization initiatives. However, many countries in which there had been general satisfaction with a long-standing framework and style of electoral administration have also seen substantial reforms.
Examples of this are:
- the introduction of an independent EMB and of significantly wider access to voting in Australia in 1984;
- the introduction of a new independent body with electoral functions, and a radically different electoral system, in New Zealand in 1993; and
- recent changes in Sweden to create more independent electoral administration.
The internationalization of electoral frameworks and administration continues to place countries under pressure to introduce electoral reform measures. The relatively recent development of generally acknowledged standards for ’free and fair’ elections and of global and regional standards for electoral administration have created yardsticks by which each country’s electoral processes and administration can be assessed.
Reforms to electoral processes may be triggered by failure to deliver acceptable elections or by conflict resulting from disputed elections. Where countries are dependent on international donor contributions, these may be linked to implementation of electoral reforms, such as in Liberia. Financial constraints requiring electoral resources to be used more sustainably and effectively have had a significant bearing on administrative electoral reforms.
The increasingly widespread and expert independent and political party observation of elections has produced many well-documented assessments of electoral performance and recommended reforms, as in Nigeria‘s post-2003 elections. Civil society and the media have become more aware of electoral rights and standards. International observation of and technical assistance to elections in emerging democracies can also have an effect in the mature democracies.
