Electoral Law
Clear legal frameworks are essential for the protection of fundamental suffrage rights, the design and implementation of effective electoral systems, and the efficient and transparent management of elections. Drawing on international law, best practices and comparative experience, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) works globally with local partners in the design and reform of electoral systems and the legal and regulatory frameworks that govern their implementation – ultimately promoting the effectiveness and credibility of democratic institutions and processes.
As a learning organization, IFES has an internal Knowledge Management Initiative Working Group on Electoral Integrity, Law and Anti-Corruption to help grow the research, tools and technical expertise we offer our partners worldwide.
Related Experts See All IFES Experts
Vice President, Global Strategy and Technical Leadership
Director, Center for Applied Research and Learning
Senior Global Legal Advisor; Director, Center for Anti-Corruption and Democratic Trust
Related Content
9 Feb 2022 | News and Updates
IFES and CEPPS' partners NDI and IR will provide support to the Senegalese people in a new program through the upcoming electoral cycle.
9 Feb 2022 | News and Updates
IFES' Regina Waugh offers a shortened version of the recent IFES paper on gender equality and women's political participation in the Election Case Law Analysis Series.
9 Feb 2022 | News and Updates
IFES hosted the 16th event in its discussion series on Jan. 27, "The Current and Future Role of Political Parties in European Countries."
11 Jan 2022 | Publication
IFES publishes two electoral assessments of the Syrian 2021 presidential election.
10 Jan 2022 | News and Updates
IFES is pleased to announce an expert seminar organized by the Office of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya on the “Future of Election Regulation in Belarus” from Jan. 11-12.
10 Dec 2021 | Publication
IFES releases Lessons for Regulating Campaigning on Social Media, the second paper in the Election Case Law Analysis Series, which presents curated data and analysis from...
30 Nov 2021 | Publication
This paper on gender equality and women's political participation is the first in a new Election Case Law Analysis Series that presents curated data and analysis from ElectionJudgments.org.
8 Oct 2021 | Multimedia
A new International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) original whiteboard video explores the meaning of electoral justice and the importance of election dispute resolution.
15 Sep 2021 | News and Updates
IFES partnered with the Central and Eastern European Law Initiative Institute to develop the Anti-Corruption and Anti-Money Laundering Course for Civil Society in Post-Transition Environments.
15 Sep 2021 | News and Updates
IFES launches new Center for Anti-Corruption and Democratic Trust on International Day of Democracy.
30 Jun 2021 | Publication
IFES supported the Dominican Republic's Central Electoral Board to identify reform priorities following the 2021 electoral process.
3 Jun 2021 | News and Updates
IFES works closely with disabled persons organizations in Sri Lanka to build a country where all persons with disabilities can exercise their rights to participate in public life.
2 Jun 2021 | Multimedia
Breaking the link between money in politics and corruption requires dedicated effort.
1 Jun 2021 | Publication
How can states better utilize peer reviews to combat corruption?
12 May 2021 | News and Updates
On April 28, IFES' Regional Europe Office held a webinar that addressed risks and solutions related to the abuse of state resources.
16 Apr 2021 | Publication
IFES used its Technical Election Assessment Mission (TEAM) methodology to assess the core areas of the electoral process in Serbia.
14 Apr 2021 | News and Updates
Election disputes are a natural outgrowth of the electoral process, and having mechanisms to properly and fairly consider those disputes is vital to electoral integrity. The International Foundation...
2 Mar 2021 | Publication
The risk-limiting audit is a type of post-election tabulation audit that relies on statistical evidence to confirm that the election outcome is correct.
5 Feb 2021 | News and Updates
Under the “Improving Electoral and Political Process for Change in Sudan” program, IFES will continue to support Sudan’s democratic transition until at least November 2023.
21 Dec 2020 | Publication
Lessons learned from COVID-19's impact in Serbia could help future electoral processes worldwide.
17 Dec 2020 | Publication
Grounded in international principles and comparative experience, this Guidebook was designed to be a tool for practitioners responsible for carrying out election investigation processes.
17 Dec 2020 | News and Updates
IFES experts tackle the unique challenges to investigating election disputes in the U.S. and around the world.
16 Nov 2020 | Publication
As part of our contribution to the United Nations General Assembly Special Session 2021 and draft political declaration, IFES has recommended six priorities for the international anti-corruption...
28 Oct 2020 | Publication
COVID-19 has suddenly increased demand for voting by mail. A new IFES paper compares practices around the world and provides recommendations.
25 Aug 2020 | Publication
How does COVID-19 entrench state capture and threaten democracies?
20 Aug 2020 | Publication
An IFES white paper presents considerations and recommendations for electoral reform in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to shore up the credibility of future elections.
28 Jul 2020 | Publication
How can all people participate in elections and democracy during COVID-19 and other crises?
23 Jun 2020 | Publication
How can information and elections be protected during COVID-19 and other crises?
3 Jun 2020 | Publication
How can democratic rights and electoral integrity be safeguarded when elections are altered during a crisis like COVID-19?
26 May 2020 | News and Updates
Elections will likely have to continue to adapt to COVID-19 over the next two years. African election management bodies should put the health and safety of voters first while ensuring the integrity...
28 Apr 2020 | News and Updates
With governments across the Middle East and North Africa imposing a variety of emergency restrictions to combat COVID-19, IFES is adapting its support to ensure the critical work of promoting and...
28 Apr 2020 | News and Updates
Public corruption is like a thread that, if pulled, can undermine the entire democratic tapestry. Crisis situations like the COVID-19 pandemic magnify existing vulnerabilities and create new...
15 Apr 2020 | News and Updates
Many countries use indelible ink to ensure that voters cannot cast multiple ballots. Hand-sanitizing procedures, recommended to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, could also affect the ink’s...
14 Apr 2020 | News and Updates
Amidst the uncertainty of COVID-19, many countries are grappling with how to modify election procedures to minimize the risk of transmission or change the system for voting completely to avoid the...
30 Mar 2020 | News and Updates
Without a strong foundation for democratic resilience, a global health crisis can shock democratic institutions and offer a blank check to governments to use emergency powers to curtail political...
28 Feb 2020 | Publication
An IFES fact sheet summarizes the four different ways women’s reserved seats in Bangladesh are currently filled: one system at the national level, two at the subdistrict level and one at the local...
27 Jan 2020 | Publication
IFES conducted a study of women’s political representation and political finance in Nepal’s House of Representatives elections in 2017. IFES hopes the resulting report sparks discussions on the...
3 Jan 2020 | News and Updates
Last month, IFES participated in the Eighth Conference of States Parties to the United Nations Convention Against Corruption in Abu Dhabi. Earlier in the year, the IFES Regional Europe Office hosted...
9 Dec 2019 | News and Updates
Ahead of International Anti-Corruption Day, IFES and the Central and Eastern European Law Initiative Institute met with local partners from Bulgaria, Montenegro and Romania to discuss the...
29 Nov 2019 | Publication
Libya has since been undergoing a democratic transition since protests erupted in February 2011, and the legal framework for elections has been extremely fragmented throughout the transitional period...
25 Nov 2019 | Publication
IFES' Dr. Fernanda Buril, a program officer for the Americas and electoral operations technical coordinator, reviewed The Credibility Challenge: How Democracy Aid Influences Election Violence for the...
25 Nov 2019 | News and Updates
In September 2019, IFES Manatt Fellow Tinashe Hofisi presented on presidential election petitions in Kenya, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe at the 14th Annual Symposium of the...
25 Nov 2019 | News and Updates
From October 30-November 1, 2019, IFES participated in the Fourth African Judicial Dialogue in Uganda. IFES Manatt Fellow Tinashe Hofisi presented his paper on presidential election petitions in...
10 May 2019 | News and Updates
IFES is pleased to announce that Alan Wall, a senior elections adviser and former IFES chief of party, is the recipient of the 2019 Joe C. Baxter Award, after being unanimously selected by IFES’...
2 May 2019 | News and Updates
IFES is working to establish regional peer networks of election arbiters, which allow judges and election commissioners to discuss best practices and share comparative examples of how other countries...
10 Apr 2019 | Multimedia
IFES Director of Research and Technical Leadership Erica Shein and Senior Legal Advisor Katherine Ellena travelled to Saba, a special municipality in the Caribbean Netherlands, for the March 20...
8 Apr 2019 | News and Updates
On April 8, IFES and Guatemala's National Council for Persons with Disabilities and signed a Memorandum of Collaboration (MoC) to enhance collaboration between the two organizations. IFES and...
27 Mar 2019 | News and Updates
IFES’ leadership in the field is comprised of a cadre of women professionals with firsthand experience administering elections in every region of the world. In this Q&A, IFES Legal Advisor...
26 Mar 2019 | News and Updates
IFES’ leadership in the field is comprised of a cadre of women professionals with firsthand experience administering elections in every region of the world. In this Q&A, Renata Levovski...
18 Mar 2019 | News and Updates
Social media offers tangible benefits to democratic discourse but also presents considerable challenges. On February 28, IFES held an event on Capitol Hill focused on emerging approaches to...
21 Feb 2019 | News and Updates
IFES' ongoing work in Sri Lanka, through which it partners with the Election Commission to strengthen transparency, electoral integrity and inclusion in the democratic process, demonstrates four...