COVID-19
As the global public health crisis caused by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to impact our societies in unprecedented ways, the ACE Electoral Network is closely following the growing pressures and challenges facing democratic institutions and processes.
Our thoughts are with those who have lost loved ones and those who are caring for the sick. We express our deep appreciation, gratitude and admiration for those on the front lines fighting this virus, saving lives and keeping essential services running in countries under lock down.
This crisis is occurring as some regions see increased rates of democratic backsliding. Elections worldwide have been postponed or held under difficult circumstances, requiring legislators and electoral administrators to consider altered voting procedures, re-examine election timelines and find ways to ensure elections continue to be conducted freely, fairly and transparently.
In these challenging times, the ACE Electoral Network Partners reaffirm their commitment to democracy and civic participation, the rights enshrined in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the community of practitioners that they serve. The ACE Electoral Network will continue to provide access to comprehensive and reliable electoral resources to enable effective responses to emerging challenges. In this spirit, ACE Partners have collected a list of resources on COVID-19, governance and elections. The Network will continue to add new information and guidance to this site as it is developed over the months to come.
Understanding COVID-19 Related Election Challenges
Considerations on Internet Voting: An Overview for Electoral Decision-Makers (IFES)
The COVID-19 pandemic has increased interest in and demand for moving services online, including voting. In the context of elections, the introduction of new technologies presents both new opportunities and enormous risks. A new IFES paper aims to assist election stakeholders in determining whether internet voting would improve electoral integrity and active democracy.
COVID-19’s Impact on Women
Though we do not yet know the full extent of COVID-19’s impact, women and most marginalized communities will likely experience disproportionate hardship. This means all preparedness and response measures should incorporate a gender analysis. A new IFES paper offers key recommendations for the government and Election Commission of Pakistan – several of which are applicable in other countries.
Elections and COVID-19: International IDEA Technical Paper (International IDEA)
The opportunity for a society to confirm officials in elected office or remove them, within a constitutionally defined timeframe, is a pillar of democratic values and standards. The global spread of COVID-19 (the novel coronavirus disease) has had a profound impact on electoral processes worldwide.
Elections and COVID-19: Making Democracy Work in Uncertain Times (International IDEA)
One of the defining characteristics of a democracy is that it holds regular, periodic elections. This requirement was famously enshrined in Article 21(3) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The certainty of holding an election means that citizens are given the opportunity to remove or extend the mandate for their representatives and leaders. At the same time, there are occasions where a natural disaster, famine or epidemic may mean that holding an election will potentially introduce considerable threats to human life.
Impact of COVID-19 (Elections Canada)
The health and safety of electors and the thousands of election workers who make a general election possible will always be a priority. As a result, Elections Canada is currently working on a new operational approach to deliver an election in a pandemic or post-pandemic context. An internal working group is sharing its findings on legal, administrative and operational modifications that could be adopted to support safety. This resource also serves as an example of proactive outreach and communication to voters, to raise awareness of and prepare them for potential differences they might encounter in the event of an election in a pandemic or post-pandemic context.
The Legal Quagmire of Postponing or Modifying Elections (IFES)
An increasing number of states are grappling with difficult decisions about postponing or modifying elections to limit the transmission of COVID-19. Beyond the logistical challenges of effecting such changes, there are legal factors to consider. For instance, many states have legal or constitutionally determined deadlines for transitions of power - and delays to election timelines may require not just operational adaptations, but legal amendment. A recent article from IFES’ Senior Global Legal Advisor, Katie Ellena, outlines key legal factors at play in electoral decision-making during an emergency situation.
Low Voter Turnouts, Fear, Disinformation and Disrupted Supply Chains: How Election Commissions Are Unprepared for COVID-19 (IFES)
All electoral activities planned for the near future will be affected one way or another by COVID-19. Election commissions need sound advice and technical assistance to navigate the complexity of each election context, coordinate with the relevant health authorities, consider all relevant public health and political factors and make sensible decisions to safeguard voters and electoral processes.
Tracking COVID-19 Impacts on Election Schedules
Global Impact of COVID-19 on Elections (IFES)
More than 40 countries have postponed elections due to COVID-19. IFES is regularly updating its list of impacted elections as news breaks.
Global Overview of COVID-19 : Impact on Elections (International IDEA)
Elections postponed due to the outbreak of COVID-19 span the globe. International IDEA makes daily updates to this list of current election schedules and plans, as reported by electoral management bodies and news media. The page includes analysis and information on: postponed elections, elections held amid COVID-19, changes in elections date discussed as a result of COVID-19, COVID-19 implications on election preparations as well as featured cases of prevention and mitigation efforts.
The page is available in English, Spanish and Russian.
Practical Guidance for Holding Safe Elections During a Health Crisis
Communication Guidelines for EMBs During COVID-19 Crisis (International IDEA)
Within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the capacity of state institutions to utilize rapid mechanisms for collecting, processing and analyzing information as the foundation of the decision-making process is as vital as the timely implementation of the appropriate communication strategies. This article from International IDEA provides EMBs with guidance on building and carrying out effective communication plans during the unfolding health crisis.
Elections During COVID-19: Considerations on How to Proceed with Caution (International IDEA)
International IDEA identified a series of key considerations and recommendations to make informed decisions abut elections. This paper is based on an analysis of developments worldwide, the Institute’s previous comparative studies on elections in crisis situations and its Electoral Risk Management Tool.
Guidelines and Recommendations for Electoral Activities During the COVID-19 Pandemic (IFES)
IFES offers expert guidance and best practices to help guide election management bodies’ planning and implementation of electoral events during this global health crisis. Herein we explore risk factors, affected events, mitigation actions and alternatives to holding in-person electoral activities.
How to Protect Gender Equality in Elections During COVID-19
Disasters often inflame and exacerbate existing inequalities, leaving women largely left out of decision-making processes. IFES shares measures that electoral stakeholders should take to ensure that gender does not serve as a barrier to electoral and political rights during this crisis.
Indelible Ink in Elections: Mitigating Risks of COVID-19 Transmission While Maintaining Effectiveness (IFES)
Many countries use indelible ink to ensure that voters cannot cast multiple ballots. Hand-sanitizing procedures, recommended to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, could also affect the ink’s effectiveness. IFES presents some factors election management bodies should consider.
Legal Considerations When Delaying or Adapting Elections (IFES)
This paper is a resource for both policymakers and democracy and governance practitioners. It identifies international principles and legal issues relevant to election postponements, including rules on term limits, deadlines for transfers of power and legal authority; discusses international principles and legal issues relevant to election modifications, including flexibility in the law, timelines and statutory authority; and provides guidance for decision-making by policymakers, judges and election officials.
Managing Elections under COVID-19 Pandemic: The Republic of Korea’s Crucial Test (International IDEA)
COVID-19 pandemic has placed unprecedented pressure on countries and states as to whether to hold or postpone scheduled elections, amid controversies in either case.
Striking a balance between these two choices is not an easy call. Should the fulfillment of the social contract between a government and its citizens come at the expense of endangering their health and lives? Or should concerns of exacerbating the outbreak as a result of the mass gatherings inherent to the societal ritual of voting, prevail over other considerations?
This Technical Paper looks at the experience in the Republic of Korea which is one of the first countries to hold national elections under the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Safeguarding Health and Elections (IFES)
This paper is the result of a close collaborative effort by health and election experts seeking to provide election officials and voters with guidance for reducing risks in elections during a health crisis. It provides a framework for public officials such as EMBs and other stakeholders to think through public health considerations for different stages of the electoral process; provides recommendations and strategies to mitigate public health risks during specific electoral activities; identifies basic resources and supplies necessary to implement risk mitigation strategies; and outlines approaches to monitor and measure the quality of implementation of the proposed strategies.
Emergency Measures, Governance Challenges and Upholding Democracy
Emergency Powers (International IDEA)
Most of the world’s democratic constitutions include emergency provisions that allow the authorities, in times of urgent necessity, to take actions to safeguard national security, maintain law and order, protect citizens’ lives and property, keep essential public services working, concentrate relief resources and direct them to the areas of greatest need, and in general to restore normality. These emergency provisions may permit the government to limit or suspend certain (although usually not all) constitutional rights, to set aside some institutional checks and balances so as to concentrate decision-making power in the central executive, and even to delay elections.
Emergency Powers and the COVID-19 Pandemic: Protecting Democratic Guardrails (IFES)
Without a strong foundation for democratic resilience, a global health crisis can shock democratic institutions and offer an alluring blank check to governments to use emergency powers to curtail individual and collective political rights in the short and long term. These rights include freedoms of expression and information; freedom of movement; the right to privacy, freedom of assembly; the right to vote and be elected; and due process protections. The global community of democracies cannot be silent as opportunistic "strongmen" seek to take advantage of this emergency to empower themselves. “The COVID-19 pandemic is an enormous crisis for individuals, states and the global order at a time when the rule of law and fundamental rights are already under attack,” write IFES experts Katherine Ellena and Erica Shein in a new brief.
Political Finance Oversight during a Global Health Pandemic (International IDEA)
In the wake of the global COVID-19 pandemic, many people have been asked to consider telework and may have reduced capacity at times. This is no exception for political finance oversight agencies, political parties and candidates. Oversight agencies are required to explore an approach that is flexible while ensuring continued critical operations to ensure transparency and accountability in the flow of money in politics.
