Newsletter April 2013 —
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Newsletter April 2013

Dear Reader,

The second edition of the ACE Newsletter in 2013 highlights updates on recent electoral activities and new resources related to ACE, including:

  • a feature article about the role of technology in the outcome of the Kenyan General Election
  • the updated ACE Encyclopaedia Legal Framework and Media and Elections topic areas
  • the latest questions and discussions on the Practitioners' Network
  • electoral events where ACE was presented in recent months
  • new publications by ACE Partner organizations and members of the ACE Practitioners' Network
 
Best regards,
The ACE Secretariat


The Role of Technology in the Outcome of the Kenyan General Election

Kenya Elections 2013 Kenyan citizens voted in a historic general election on March 4, 2013. It was a significant contest, in light of the mass violence following the 2007 presidential election, claiming over 1,000 lives and displacing over 600,000 people. This year, Election Day was largely peaceful and Kenya demonstrated its ability to move beyond 2007’s ethnic turmoil.

According to official results released by Kenya’s Independent Elections and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), Uhuru Kenyatta, leader of the Jubilee Coalition, defeated his opponent, Raila Odinga of the Coalition for the Restoration of Democracy (CORD). Odinga subsequently challenged these results by petitioning the Supreme Court, which ultimately upheld the IEBC’s ruling.   

Despite the peaceful outcome of this election, the international community and news media continue to focus on its failures, and specifically, technological ones. Some tend to assume that malfunctions of Kenyan voter technology caused Kenya’s polling crisis. On the contrary, we must understand the relationship of technology to Kenya’s vote counting process as a managerial failure before a technological one.

Read the full article online about:

  • election day challenges,
  • why the problems faced by the IEBC can be viewed as managerial, rather than technological, and
  • the role of technology in the outcome of the election.
                                                                               ...and share your comments and opinions

 

 

Updated Media and Legal Framework Topic Areas

As part of the ongoing updates of the ACE Encyclopaedia Topic Areas the new versions of Media and Elections and Legal Framework are now available online. 

The Legal Framework Topic Area was updated by Richard D. Balasko who served for 20 years as the Chief Electoral Officer in Manitoba, Canada. Amongst many changes and additions this topic area contains a new case study on Jordan's Changing Electoral Framework and Parliamentary Elections in Egypt and the Judiciary.

The Media and Elections Topic Area was updated by Vanessa Alpern with additional input from five experts in the field. The comprehensive additions to this topic area include a discussion of the role of new media in elections including a case study on New Media and Elections Transparency in Egypt as well as case studies about the Impact of Media Ownership on Elections in Nigeria and Media Monitoring in Georgia.

 

The Practitioners' Network

Discussions on the Practitioners' Network received more than 200 contributions by network members over the last three months. Topics ranged from electoral standards and principles, to political parties and candidates, voting operations and voter registration.

Consolidated Replies are summaries of the discussions on the Practitioners' Network. Among the consolidated replies published during the past quarter were the following:


Less talk about ”free and fair” elections?

Fewer countries refer to the conduct of elections as ”free and fair” elections in favor of ”credible”, ”legitimate”, ”participatory” etc. What are your views on this trend and shift in discourse and terminology?

Read more ...

Professional platforms/initiatives and international standards/principles for boundary delimitation

I am doing some research and have two questions related to the coordination and development of electoral boundary delimitation:

  • What examples are there of international standards/guiding principles for delimiting electoral boundaries?
  • Are there are any examples of attempts for specific regional or international coordination or networking platforms/initiatives among individual professionals involved in electoral boundary delimitation, beyond activities such as the development of standards?
Read more ...

Examples where voter transport on election day by candidates or political parties is permitted

Political parties in Pakistan are working on electoral reform issues and are in need of a specific piece of information regarding electoral legal frameworks and the transportation of voters, specifically transportation provided by parties. Voter transport by candidates or political parties is banned under current Pakistani law, though some legislators are considering an attempt at changing that in the coming days. 

Parties are therefore looking for some examples of other countries where voter transport (on election day) by candidates or political parties is permitted (other than the US and Canada). Do you know of other countries? 

Read more ... 

Political party consultative mechanisms and codes of conduct

What are the latest innovations in political party consultative mechanisms and codes of conduct? Have any new methods to obtain compliance and enforcement been explored? 

Read more ...

Geographical requirements and ban on trade union officials when registering a political party

The Fijian government is about to issue a decree on party registration that provides only 28 days to fulfill a number of requirements, including gathering 5000 members in various numbers from each region of the country. It also bans anyone who is an officer in a union from leading a party. More information can be found here.

I would very much appreciate any comments on what would seem to be some unusual demands. 

Read more ...
 

ACE at Electoral Events

The ACE Electoral Knowledge Network was presented to electoral administrators from Electoral Management Bodies in Africa, participating in BRIDGE workshops held in Addis Ababa, Centurion and Johannesburg, and implemented by International IDEA. This outreach initiative included ACE presentations, distribution of ACE promotional materials, and invitations to join the ACE Practitioners' Network.

 

Recent Publications by ACE Partners and Members of the Practitioners' Network

Canada: By-Election Report

The Report of the Chief Electoral Officer of Canada Following the March 19, 2012, by-election held in Toronto–Danforth and the November 26, 2012, by-elections held in Calgary Centre, Durham and Victoria is now available.  

Elections Canada Report on Preventing Deceptive Communications with Electors
The report "Preventing Deceptive Communications with Electors – Recommendations from the Chief Electoral Officer of Canada Following the 41st General Election", which was made in accordance with section 535 of the Canada Elections Act, is now available.

The report is in response to incidents that occurred during the general election of May 2, 2011, involving deceptive communications with electors. It proposes legislative amendments to the Canada Elections Act.

Best Practices in Electoral Security - A Guide for Democracy and Governance Programming
The Guide was developed for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and other international and domestic electoral security stakeholders. The Guide identifies strategies and tools which have been effective in preventing, managing, and mediating electoral conflict.