An electoral policy body is the organization responsible for the making of policy decisions regarding the conduct of elections. The scope of its mandate will vary according to the country, but each makes policy decisions relating to the administration of elections. In some cases an electoral policy body is also responsible for drafting election legislation and providing electoral oversight.
Its role in protecting election integrity usually includes:
Adopts policies that protect election integrity
The primary role of the electoral policy body is to determine electoral policy. It is critical that it does so in an independent and non-partisan manner. Some of the integrity policy issues it can address include:
- are the elections competitive and free?
- are the dates established by the electoral calendar reasonable?
- do the legal and institutional frameworks guarantee equal treatment and opportunity?
- are all eligible voters able to register and vote freely without problem?
- are all votes cast counted and accurately reflected in the official results?
- are political parties able to register and participate in the elections, including having the freedom to campaign and to get their message out?
- do all parties and candidates have equal access to the media?
- is the reallocation of seats during a redistricting done on an equitable basis? and
- is the formula for the distribution of public resources, such as free broadcast time or public funding for campaigns, fair and implemented honestly?
Drafts electoral legislation protective of election integrity
If the election policy body is mandated with the responsibility to draft laws, it can ensure that any legislation drafted includes built-in mechanisms for the protection of election integrity. These could include clearly specifying the role and mandate of each institution involved, the powers they will have to fulfil their role, and the control mechanisms for each institution and stage of the process. For more on this see Legislation.
Provides oversight to ensure the integrity mechanisms function correctly
When the electoral policy body has the responsibility to act as an oversight body, it can ensure that the process is being implemented in a neutral and transparent manner, and that the results of the elections are an accurate and faithful expression of the will of the voters. It can also ensure that the public resources provided for the holding of elections are adequate and are used for that purpose, and that the election managers are held accountable for their management of the funds, for the assets used in conducting the election and for their administration of the process. For more on oversight roles see Oversight Agencies
