Collecting and disseminating sex-disaggregated data is a key task for inclusive election management, since it allows EMBs to assess gender balance in the electoral process and to better plan their strategies and policies. However, data on the gender composition of registered voters, voters who actually casted their votes on Election Day, registered candidates and electoral staff at all levels is not always available. Data gathering design and processes should consider the gender dimension from the beginning, including a “sex” or “gender” category as one of the data fields and recording it at the time of data collection, since revising large amounts of data at a later stage would most likely increase associated costs. Through training initiatives, EMBs can strengthen the capacities of staff and election officials to collect sex-disaggregated data.[1]
Example: In Burundi, the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) developed a tool for collecting and analyzing sex-disaggregated data, with support from UN Women. EMB staff was trained on the use of this tool during a BRIDGE workshop in 2014.[2]
Example: In Ethiopia, the post-election evaluation of the 2010 general election assessed the level of women’s participation as voters, electoral officers, observers and candidates, including sex-disaggregated data in all these areas.[3]
Example: In Liberia, the National Elections Commission’s (NEC) datacenter generates sex-disaggregated data, which becomes available on the NEC website. It is currently available for the 2011-2017 voter registration process. On Election Day, polling staff complete a sex-disaggregated form that is later delivered to the tabulation center together with the results, which guarantees availability of sex-disaggregated data on the voter turnout right after Election Day.[4]
Example: In Canada, Elections Canada (EC) maintains the National Register of Electors, a permanent, continually updated database of Canadians who are qualified to vote in federal elections and referendums. It contains the name, address, gender and date of birth of each elector and is used to create voter lists at the beginning of federal elections and referendums. Although the register is not public, it allows EC to provide sex-disaggregated data on turnout after each election. Data for the 2011 and 2015 general elections is currently available online.[5]
Example: In Nepal, gender-disaggregated data is available for voter turnout and the voter registration process, which is conducted under three categories: “male”, “female” and “third gender”. During the 2017 national-level elections 15.42 million Nepali voters casted their vote, from which 7.77 million were men and 7.65 million were women. At the time, there were 167 third gender voters registered in the voter list.[6]
For more information on this topic, please see related content of the ACE Project, including:
[1] UNDP and UN Women (2016): op. cit., p. 45.
[2] UNDP and UN Women (2016): op. cit., p. 49.
[3] UNDP and UN Women (2016): op. cit., p. 49.
[4] Information submitted by UNDP’s electoral assistance project in Liberia in July 2018.
[5] Information submitted by Elections Canada in July 2018.
[6] Information submitted by UNDP’s electoral assistance Project in Nepal in July 2018.
