The assessment frameworks of almost all major international
observer organizations, include aspects of the electoral process that require
long-term observation. Long-term observers (LTOs) contribute qualitative
analysis to a mission, helping establish the electoral context. LTO reports, in
contrast to short-term observer (STO) checklists, involve long-form answers to
open-ended questions. Therefore, LTOs must have a stronger grasp of standards
and obligations than their short-term counterparts. While organizations are
still developing ever more effective ways to correlate LTO reports with
specific assessment criteria, a standard range of tools already exists. Most
missions require LTOs to compile weekly reports synthesizing findings in their
areas of responsibility, providing information on meetings with political
stakeholders, campaign events, and any pre- or post-election procedures
observed (e.g., voter registration, voter education, poll-worker training,
dispute adjudication), as well as identification of potential problem areas and
gathering of documentation. Obligations and assessment criteria should shape
the language used to guide LTOs in their work.
In addition to the comprehensive weekly report, many groups
use variations on three types of shorter LTO reports as needed: campaign rally
reports, flash or incident reports, and case files. A campaign rally report
collects data on attendees, any instances of intimidation or violence, respect
for freedom of assembly and expression, and the tenor of rhetoric. Flash or
incident reports capture urgent developments between weekly reports, often
including violence or sudden changes in election rules. Case files track
complaints and legal violations related to the electoral process. As ODIHR’s
LTO manual notes, core team staff may compile case files into a database to
track systematic problems.[i]
OAS missions use another type of form, the Document of
Indicators on the Electoral Process, which is the responsibility of a
designated Indicators Specialist and focuses directly on aligning the electoral
environment with obligations in the assessment framework. This document
concentrates on the compliance of the country’s own legal framework with its
international obligations but incorporates reporting from other core team
members and deployed observers.[ii]
Citizen observers have increased their focus on
long-term observation by focusing on the entire election process, including
election day. National CSOs have certain
advantages over international observers with respect to long-term observation
given that they are typically observing in the country they reside in. On the
other hand, the common shortcomings of citizen observers–lack of training,
experience, established reputation or credibility and resources-–are often
international observers’ comparative advantage. One reason for this relative
“weakness” of national observation is the difficulty of obtaining funding for
long-term observation efforts and motivating people to carry out systematic
observation once the momentum that surrounds an election event has subsided, or
before it has appeared
[i]
OSCE/ODIHR, Handbook for Long-term Election Observers: Beyond Election Day
Observation (Warsaw: OSCE/ODIHR, 2007), 20.
[ii]
OAS, Manual for OAS Electoral Observation Missions (Washington, DC: OAS, 2009),
15.
