The legitimacy of an election depends in large part on the actual and perceived integrity of the electoral process. If voters and candidates believe that an election is fraudulent or has been poorly administered, they may not accept the outcome. At best, this can breed public dissatisfaction or disinterest; at worst, violence, ineffective governance and long-term instability. With donor support, election managers can take an important step toward avoiding these outcomes by conducting an exhaustive and systematic assessment of likely vulnerabilities in the electoral process and taking appropriate actions to mitigate risks.   

As part of the International Foundation for Electoral Systems’ (IFES) electoral integrity portfolio, an innovative assessment methodology, the Electoral Integrity Assessment, was developed to fill a major gap in efforts to combat systemic manipulation, malpractice, and fraud in elections. Use of this unique IFES methodology empowers election management bodies and their partners to design tools to deter, detect, and mitigate election vulnerabilities.