This section covers NonGovernmental Organizations (NGOs) that work on the public's behalf to improve the quality and integrity of elections and related democracy issues.
These nonprofit organizations can play a significant role in most systems by focussing on public accountability and helping to keep elections honest. During elections their National Election Observation and reporting help increase the transparency of the elections. They undertake voter education programmes and help ensure the dissemination of election information and issues. They can also lobby policy-makers and electoral officials for better policies and electoral legislation.
Some of the areas, outside of general election observation, where NGOs can act as an integrity mechanism:
Monitor campaign financing and advocate for campaign finance reform
NGOs can increase the transparency of campaign financing through their close monitoring and public reporting on campaign contributions and spending. They can also lobby for tighter campaign finance laws.
An example of an NGO that works in this area is the U.S.-based Common Cause, which describes itself as a 'nonprofit, nonpartisan citizens' lobbying organization promoting open, honest and accountable government. Supported by the dues and contributions of its 250,000 members in every state across the nation, Common Cause represents the unified voice of the people against corruption in government and big money special interests.' 263
Common Cause does this by closely monitoring campaign finance reform and campaign financing. It actively lobbies for legislation to fundamentally reform congressional campaigns, including a reduction in special-interest political contributions and an end to 'soft money'. (see Campaign Financing). Common Cause publicizes campaign finances in its Follow the Dollar Reports (Common Cause). 264 Its Soft Money Laundromat (Common Cause) is a searchable database of special interest soft money contributions. 265 These sites enable voters and the media to see how much each candidate is receiving and from whom.
Disseminate campaign information as a voter education service
An informed citizen is a key integrity mechanism. NGOs undertake public awareness programmes (see Voter Education) so that the voters are informed on major campaign issues and have a factual basis for making their election choices. The NGO Democracy Network, which is active in the U.S. and Venezuela, is part of a 'large effort to create non-profit, non-partisan, interactive tools for local, state and national political participation.' 266 For example, it provides a website for candidates to post their platforms or campaign statements. Voters can access the information, contact the candidate to ask questions or to volunteer their time or resources to that candidate's campaign.
NGOs can also assist the election management body with the voter education campaign for the election, either disseminating official information through their networks, or by supplementing the official campaign with their own materials.
For integrity purposes, these voter education services must be impartial, and ensure equal dissemination of campaign information from all candidates and parties.
Monitor campaign quality and urge for better campaigns
Campaigns based on distortions and muckraking hurt the integrity of the campaign and can mislead voters into making misinformed choices. Some NGOs monitor the content of the electoral campaign and act to improve the quality of campaigns. For instance, the U.S. NGO Alliance for Better Campaigns, a public interest group founded to promote better campaigns 'where the most useful information reaches the greatest number of citizens in the most engaging way. We aspire to a politics larger than attack ads and the money chase that pays for them- a politics rooted in our sense of national community and purpose.' 267
For the 2000 U.S. presidential race, the Alliance has been working with the 1,600 U.S. television broadcasters to voluntarily commit to airing five minutes a night of candidate-centered discourse in the 30 nights preceding the elections.
We believe this proposal offers a chance for stations and candidates to break the grip that expensive attack ads and empty sound bites have on campaign discourse. But our experience tells us that stations and candidates are reluctant innovators. They need cajoling and encouragement from the outside. 268
