ACE

Consolidated Replies

Consolidated Replies are the summary and individual answers of the members of the Practitioners’ Network to any given question submitted to the Network through the ‘Ask the Experts” feature. This is an archive of all the questions sent to and answered by the ACE Practitioners' Network over the years. By browsing and reading the Consolidated Replies, you can expand your knowledge and expertise, obtain the latest insights as well as news and lessons learned on key issues in the electoral field.
Disclaimer: The members of the Practitioners' Network contribute to the network and participate in network activities on their own time and in their individual capacity and should not be seen as representing the views of the ACE partner organisations or any organisation with which they may be affiliated.

01 Jul 2019	Voter register accuracy and completeness
28 May 2019	Plurality systems where a majority coalition can't override the election leader
24 May 2019	Changes in vote counting locations
14 Feb 2019	Voter registration without link to national identification
04 Jan 2019	Voter education to engage and motivate voters
07 Dec 2018	Voters registering and voting outside their municipalities of residence
16 Nov 2018	"Head of list" election model
07 Nov 2018	Observer accreditation by separate body
10 Sep 2018	Voter registration authorities
06 Sep 2018	Polling stations staffed by citizens
28 Jun 2018	EMB media strategies
25 Jun 2018	EMBs administering political party primaries
18 Jun 2018	Negative preferences in list electoral systems
05 Apr 2018	Political Party Registration
13 Dec 2017	EMBs maintaining level electoral playing field
25 Sep 2017	Demographic voter information collected by EMBs
08 Sep 2017	Case studies of risk factors for electoral violence
20 Jun 2017	Intra-party democracy and elections in Latin and South America
19 Jun 2017	Safe disposal of indelible ink
14 Jun 2017	"Zombie" election monitors
04 May 2017	Limits to universal suffrage
04 May 2017	Enforcing codes of conduct
02 May 2017	Post-graduate programmes on electoral management/administration?
27 Mar 2017	International observer reports and election disputes
22 Mar 2017	International Search for Ballot Boxes
15 Mar 2017	External Relations Staffing Best Practices
10 Mar 2017	Preventing and mitigating electoral violence
03 Mar 2017	Professionalization of electoral civil service
27 Feb 2017	Election security planning for police officers
08 Feb 2017	Role of legal services department in election dispute resolution
15 Dec 2016	Comparative examples of rules and procedures applying to by-elections
03 Nov 2016	Service of election officials in government
27 Jul 2016	Online candidate nomination
26 Jul 2016	Electoral participation of domestic migrants
07 Jul 2016	Peer-to-Peer Capacity Building
28 Apr 2016	Political parties binding elected members in voting
26 Apr 2016	EMB entry points for advancing youth participation
07 Apr 2016	Looking for a directory of women election commissioners and chief electoral officers
09 Dec 2015	Electoral reforms initiated by state stakeholders
01 Dec 2015	Monitoring and Evaluation and Risk Management for EMBs
23 Nov 2015	Time Sensitive: Prohibiting government from making statements before election
28 Oct 2015	Citizen Police Officers at Polling Stations
06 Oct 2015	Collecting Population Data for Boundary Delimitation : Alternative Practices
13 Aug 2015	Civil society's role in advocating for, drafting, and implementing campaign finance laws
07 Aug 2015	EMBs: Should they hire their own legal advisers, or use government supplied legal counsel?
05 Aug 2015	Questionnaire design for assessing challenges of implementing electoral technology
30 Jul 2015	Final Observation Reports from Bosnia and Herzegovina 1996/97
30 Jul 2015	Iris Biometric Voter Registration in Somaliland
28 Jul 2015	Best Practices for Election Coverage Online
28 Jul 2015	Amending the Uruguay Constitution
08 Jul 2015	EMB Experiences with Open Source Technology
07 Jul 2015	Timing of Counting Votes
22 Jun 2015	Requesting successful cases of awareness raising for the voter registration process
19 Jun 2015	Permanent Voter Registration Systems
17 Jun 2015	Combining National Identity Cards and Voter Registration Cards
17 Jun 2015	Public Electoral Registers : How are they handled by EMBs?
17 Jun 2015	Experiences with Internet Voting
17 Jun 2015	Strategies to include 'multiply marginalized' groups in elections
17 Jun 2015	Seeking Assessments of EMB Structure and Processes in Developed Democracies
17 Jun 2015	Seeking Cross-National Survey Data on How Voters Cast their Ballots
16 Jun 2015	Use of drones on election day / Uso de drones el día de la elección
16 Jun 2015	Seeking Information about Voter Costs
16 Jun 2015	Proposing Boundary Delimitation Changes in Malaysia
15 Jun 2015	Looking for Literature on Electoral Abstention
15 Jun 2015	Partially Deferred General Elections (esp. under MMP)
15 Jun 2015	Examples of 'vote per household' and multi-stage elections at the municipal level
12 Jun 2015	How to prevent vote rigging
06 Jun 2015	Discarding or retiring defunct voters' rolls
05 Jun 2015	GIS/GPS Mapping of Polling Stations in Sierra Leone
27 May 2015	Direct Democratic Elections in Lebanon - How to Get There
22 May 2015	Instances of Purging Voters from Voter Rolls
21 May 2015	Foreign Travel Guidelines for EMBs and Electoral Practitioners
24 Apr 2015	Planning for National Emergencies and Electoral Delays
22 Apr 2015	Lessons Learnt with Election Violence in Fragile and Conflict-Affected States
22 Apr 2015	The media's role in creating peaceful and non-violent elections
17 Apr 2015	Measuring the Quality of Elections
25 Mar 2015	Special Rules and Bans on Election Day
19 Mar 2015	Best Practices in Gender-Segregated Voting
18 Mar 2015	Use of Cameras/Webcams in Polling Stations as Confidence Building Measures
18 Mar 2015	Performance Audits of Election Authorities: Methodologies and Examples of Conduct
11 Mar 2015	Electoral Reform Process Best Practices
23 Dec 2014	Best Practices with Conducting Election Audits
15 Dec 2014	Legislation governing political participation of former Electoral Commissioners and senior electoral staff
19 Nov 2014	Municipal EMBs increasing accessibility for voters with disabilities
14 Nov 2014	The Presence of Police/Military Inside Polling Stations
05 Nov 2014	Considerations and resources for researching legal frameworks and enforcement mechanisms in campaign finance
28 Oct 2014	Safeguards Against Violence and Intimidation Against Women Candidates During the Campaign Period
28 Oct 2014	Factors influencing the performance of biometric voter registration (BVR) systems
15 Oct 2014	Enforcement of Legislation Preventing Double-Voting in European Parliament Elections
14 Oct 2014	Stakeholders in Voter Outreach Activities
07 Oct 2014	Legal provisions for illiterate voters/Dispositions légales pour les électeurs analphabètes.
02 Oct 2014	Political Parties Visiting Schools and Election Commission Oversight
29 Sep 2014	Establishing a 'Democracy Module' at the Indian International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM)
17 Sep 2014	Voting patterns of people with a disability
15 Sep 2014	Using Failure Mode Effect Analysis (FMEA) for elections?
08 Sep 2014	Low registration rate with person-initiated registration for Libya 2014
26 Aug 2014	Biometric Voter Registration and Voter Identification
15 Jul 2014	Checking the candidate supporter lists
11 Jul 2014	Recommendations or best practices for writing materials provided at polling stations for voters
01 Jul 2014	Restrictions on Political Campaigning in Myanmar and Beyond
27 Jun 2014	Developing an EMB Voter Education Training Plan
25 Jun 2014	NGO/CSO Department in an EMB
20 Jun 2014	Citizens' Groups Participating in National or Local Elections
19 Jun 2014	Promoting youth in elected positions
17 Jun 2014	Responsabilidad del contenido en el sitio web del organismo electoral/Responsability for Content on EMB Website
14 Jun 2014	Affichage Électoral/Election Posters
12 Jun 2014	Manuals for Election Commission Spokespersons
12 Jun 2014	Information about Regional EMB Networks
11 Jun 2014	Electronic Election Observation
10 Jun 2014	Country experiences with electronic voting
28 May 2014	Electoral Observation Regulations
09 May 2014	Barriers to women's voter registration
22 Apr 2014	Regulations for political party names
21 Apr 2014	Successful anti-corruption tools for electoral processes
16 Apr 2014	Development of CEC Communications Strategy
10 Apr 2014	Voter education and domestic election observation implemented by the same NGO
07 Apr 2014	Registration fees for political parties and candidates standing for elections
03 Apr 2014	Voters signing in support of more than one candidate or party
26 Mar 2014	Experiences with online testing of election staff
24 Mar 2014	Examples of Diversity Inclusion in Electoral Processes
19 Mar 2014	Voting rights for irregular migrants?
19 Mar 2014	Experiences with reserved seats or constituencies for women in parliamentary elections
18 Mar 2014	Special seat allocation systems for citizens voting from abroad
03 Mar 2014	Formula for the number of Members of Parliament?
03 Mar 2014	Publishing lists of the people who voted in an election
22 Aug 2013	Electoral reforms made by specific assemblies
25 Jul 2013	Successful EMB institutional development and capacity building
23 Jul 2013	Comparative examples of electoral procedures and legislation considering the customary laws of indigenous communities
19 Jul 2013	Research on voter registration and urban migration in Africa
19 Jul 2013	Actions undertaken by EMBs to increase voter registration
17 Jul 2013	Systems with separate polling stations for men and women
11 Jun 2013	Examples of criminal sanctions imposed against political parties
30 May 2013	International experiences of supporting electoral law enforcement
21 May 2013	An internationally agreed normative base for free, fair and credible elections
13 May 2013	Examples of election-time caretaker governments in parliamentary democracies
29 Apr 2013	Professional platforms/initiatives and international standards/principles for boundary delimitation
24 Apr 2013	Examples of regulation of political parties in constitutions
18 Apr 2013	Pros and cons of a permanent computerized electoral list in Benin and its impact on voting operations
27 Mar 2013	Consultations on internet voting
25 Mar 2013	Examples where voter transport on election day by candidates or political parties is permitted
18 Mar 2013	Less talk about ”free and fair” elections?
28 Feb 2013	Geographical requirements and ban on trade union officials when registering a political party
28 Feb 2013	Fate of old voter register in an emerging democracy
06 Feb 2013	Abrogation of quotas for women
29 Jan 2013	Strategies to tackle absenteeism of polling staff
18 Jan 2013	Release of election data by EMBs
15 Jan 2013	Holding of referendum in more than one phase
08 Jan 2013	Political party consultative mechanisms and codes of conduct
08 Jan 2013	Annulment and re-running of an election at district level
07 Jan 2013	Examples of election logistics manuals
11 Dec 2012	Challenging the prohibition of independent candidates
07 Dec 2012	NGOs combating vote buying
30 Nov 2012	Voting from abroad and residency status
29 Nov 2012	Ensuring polling staff comply with election laws and procedures
19 Nov 2012	Regulations restricting photography and filming inside polling stations
16 Nov 2012	Managing the power of incumbency
15 Nov 2012	Election monitoring and election-related violence
15 Nov 2012	Scope and functions of the IT Division of an Electoral Management Body
13 Nov 2012	Civil society coalitions and domestic election observation
25 Oct 2012	Apportionment of parliamentary seats
24 Oct 2012	Civic and electoral education centres
08 Oct 2012	Social media and voter education
08 Oct 2012	Use of voting booths
24 Sep 2012	Appointing leading Election Commission positions in absentia
10 Sep 2012	Gender quotas in Africa
31 Aug 2012	Cost of election security for EMBs
24 Aug 2012	Secrecy of the ballot for voters with disabilities
22 Aug 2012	Running elections without an electoral roll
21 Aug 2012	Experiences of institutional decentralisation of EMBs?
16 Aug 2012	Overview of institutions dealing with electoral complaints
16 Aug 2012	Changes to electoral systems/voting from abroad?
06 Aug 2012	Minimum standard for voter registration rate?
01 Aug 2012	El voto golondrino/manipulation of electoral demography
19 Jul 2012	Popularising election observation among youth
13 Jul 2012	Updating the voter list under challenging conditions
10 Jul 2012	Replacement of polling committee chairpersons?
06 Jul 2012	The Swedish 'free right of nomination': Other examples?
04 Jul 2012	Training within an independent EMB
29 Jun 2012	Criteria for EMB members in Haiti?
29 Jun 2012	Preparing for elections in Fiji
28 Jun 2012	Advantages and disadvantages of sub-municipal wards
26 Jun 2012	Mapping of polling stations
26 Jun 2012	Bonus seats to largest party in Greek election
25 Jun 2012	Examples of Monitoring and Evaluation Frameworks used to assess electoral 'projects'?
25 Jun 2012	Establishing an Elections Operation Centre
21 Jun 2012	Biometric Voter Registration: Skills required and problems encountered?
15 May 2012	Inaccuracy of voter rolls
09 May 2012	Democratic consolidation strengthened by independence of EMBs?
09 May 2012	Role of EMBs in interparty dialogue
04 May 2012	Smart phone election observation app
04 May 2012	Implications of length of polling process for international election observation
03 May 2012	EMBs and social media
02 May 2012	Examples of Outsourcing Functions of EMBs
12 Apr 2012	Organizing voting from abroad within a short time frame
11 Apr 2012	Examples of internal elections in emerging democracies?
11 Apr 2012	Impact of electoral finance on election-related violence?
10 Apr 2012	Evidence that professional election security programmes have had a positive impact on elections
10 Apr 2012	Experiences of PR open list system?
30 Mar 2012	Online publication of unofficial results on election day
30 Mar 2012	Increased voter turnout following planned initiatives: Examples?
26 Mar 2012	Elected Member of Parliament not allowed to stay on as independent MP after leaving party: Examples?
12 Mar 2012	The use of the military in the electoral process in stable and semi-stable countries
12 Mar 2012	Biometric voter verification in Ghana
09 Mar 2012	Lack of explicit legal provisions defining EMB powers and duties
08 Mar 2012	Impeachment law drafting in Bhutan
08 Mar 2012	Charging fees for civil registry: Examples?
07 Mar 2012	Relations between Electoral Management Bodies (EMBs) and observers
05 Mar 2012	Age limit for biometric identification
02 Mar 2012	Strategies used by the electorate to protect their vote
28 Feb 2012	EMBs with Gender Policies
25 Jan 2012	Using mobile phones for reporting voting results
23 Jan 2012	Limited voting rights for electoral officials?
13 Jan 2012	Electoral violence - early warning tools
11 Jan 2012	Creation, composition and mandate of Working Group for Electoral Reform
10 Jan 2012	Kyrgyzstan: Referendum/elections with violence in parts of the country?
09 Jan 2012	Selection criteria for candidates' debates
03 Jan 2012	EMB actions in developing democracies encouraging electoral participation of women
23 Dec 2011	Kenya 2012: Seven electoral contests in one day
21 Dec 2011	Neutral Symbols for Candidate Identification
20 Dec 2011	Regional election observation networks
20 Dec 2011	Paramount chieftaincy as a system of local government
19 Dec 2011	"Acceptable" number/proportion of invalid votes?
29 Nov 2011	Senegal: Adoption of single ballot for 2012 presidential election
21 Nov 2011	Constitutional change based on simple (not absolute) majority?
09 Nov 2011	Paper audit trail in e-voting
08 Nov 2011	Timor-Leste: Pros and cons of a single, codified electoral law
07 Oct 2011	Cases of interference with the work of an independent EMB and resulting actions
20 Sep 2011	Proportional Representation in Hong Kong Government
20 Sep 2011	Legislative Re-election
16 Sep 2011	Practices Associated with Combating Political Violence Against Women
16 Sep 2011	Temporary staff of EMBs: lessons learned
16 Sep 2011	Best practices for elections in disaster states
16 Sep 2011	Impact of organized crime on elections?
19 Apr 2011	Methods of Promoting Internal Democracy in Political Parties
31 Mar 2011	Electoral districts for greater accountability
21 Mar 2011	Manually counting ballots in Block Vote systems
08 Mar 2011	Sudan: Voter Registration of nomad tribes without a permanent address
28 Feb 2011	Codes of conduct for the electoral process
14 Feb 2011	Serial numbers on ballots
04 Feb 2011	Criteria for selection of Electoral Commissioners
21 Oct 2010	Ballot paper design for multiple elections
04 Aug 2010	Electoral FAQs
29 Apr 2010	Burma (Myanmar) 2010 Elections: Restrictions for candidate registration
17 Mar 2010	UNDP guidelines on prevention of election violence
18 Dec 2009	Definition of mental illness in electoral law
16 Oct 2009	EMB responsibility to oversee and administer internal political party elections
09 Jul 2009	Voting by homeless people
08 Jul 2009	Identification of voters wearing a veil
08 Apr 2009	Consolidated Response on Gender Quotas in African Countries
13 Feb 2009	Family and proxy voting in Macedonia
21 Jan 2009	Conduct during Elections for Civil Servants and Ministers
19 Sep 2008	Vetting electoral candidates
08 Aug 2008	"After-the-event" assessment of elections
08 Aug 2008	Inappropriate Electoral Systems
30 Jul 2008	Floor-crossing in East Timor
04 Mar 2008	Voting facilities for prisoners
09 Jan 2008	Retention of election materials
13 Sep 2007	Absentee voting facilities in Bhutan
24 May 2007	The use of a Photo Voter Roll
23 May 2007	Electoral education for children
23 May 2007	EMBs using Automatic Finger Identification Systems (AFIS)
21 May 2007	Holding elections simultaneously or separately
14 May 2007	Parallel vote tabulation (PVT) enhancing or undermining election credibility
10 May 2007	EMB independence and the origin of independent election administrations
10 May 2007	Evaluation of electoral assistance programmes
10 May 2007	Voter apathy and revival of genuine political participation
07 May 2007	Multiple passports from the same country
04 May 2007	Accreditation procedures for domestic observers
03 May 2007	Gender mainstreaming of the electoral administration
07 Apr 2007	Voter registration standards and country case studies
21 Mar 2007	Methods of apportionment
13 Mar 2007	Oaxaca, Mexico: Civil society requesting international election monitoring, training and supervision
20 Feb 2007	Photographs and icons on ballot papers
20 Feb 2007	Electoral management training courses
04 Jan 2007	Combining referenda and elections
04 Jan 2007	International vs. domestic election observation
03 Jan 2007	Election observation, monitoring and supervision
28 Dec 2006	The role of the police in the electoral process
28 Dec 2006	Electoral system in Iran
28 Dec 2006	Election Observation in Sub-Saharan Africa
28 Dec 2006	Ballot papers in the United Kingdom/England
28 Dec 2006	How are voter lists compiled and maintained in Italy?
28 Dec 2006	Direct democracy instruments in EU enlargement
28 Dec 2006	Voting with marbles in the Gambia
28 Dec 2006	The practice of compulsory voting: a right or a duty?
28 Dec 2006	None of the above (NOTA) option
28 Dec 2006	What percentage of registered voters makes a registration process acceptable?
28 Dec 2006	Secret ballots and vote buying
28 Dec 2006	Campaign silence
28 Dec 2006	Access to ballots for recount
28 Dec 2006	Ballot paper format in Madagascar
28 Dec 2006	Voter Registration trends and practices around the world
28 Dec 2006	Polling booth privacy in Thailand
28 Dec 2006	Guiding principles for legal framework of elections
28 Dec 2006	Silent Voters/Anonymous Registration in Australia and New Zealand
28 Dec 2006	Role of election boycotts in a democracy
28 Dec 2006	Single member and multi member districts
28 Dec 2006	Voter turnout by gender
28 Dec 2006	Representation of women in Ukraine
28 Dec 2006	Voting Rights of the Military
19 Dec 2006	Electronic Voting Machines - Blank vote option
19 Dec 2006	Candidate verification in Aceh