Electoral Affairs

USA | Uganda | Russia | Guinea | Tanzania | Ghana | Disinformation | Indelible Ink

The Reads

#1 USA Senate Runoffs e-day: Jan 5

Two senatorial seats contested in the State of Georgia will determine whether President-Elect Joe Biden will have the overall majority in the US Parliament. Both seats must be won by the Democrats in order to arrive at a tie in the US Senate, which will leave the decisive vote to the Vide-President-Elect Kamala Harris, who will be ex-officio the Speaker of the Senate. The Ballotpedia has more.

#2 Uganda President and Parliament e-day: Jan 14

Armed men in T-shirts enforcing the law raise fears of election violence in Uganda. So far, 28 die in a violent start to Uganda's election season The Human Rights Watch issued an alert and follows the cases of potential disenfranchisement.
This blog post outlines the history of election observation missions in Uganda, however, it is unlikely that there will be any methodological observation for the January poll. 

#3 Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan both e-days: Jan 10

Radio Free Europe has the analysis ahead of the controversial polls.

#4 Russia

An investigation reveals that European extreme-right politicians faked to be international election observers in Russia and praised “all-Russian voting” held in June 2020. The process was largely seen as an illegitimate attempt of President Putin’s clinging to power until 2036. The European Platform For Democratic Elections investigation available here.

#5 Guinea, Tanzania, Ghana:

“Online Disinformation Campaigns Undermine African Elections” an overview piece by Bloomberg.

Tool: Resilience 

The recent US presidential elections left behind a pretty handsome amount of useful tools (for all the bad reasons). This one for example aimed at democracy activists teaches: “How to protect yourself from digital attacks in election period”. Truth be told, this list of “dos and don'ts” is very much applicable to any civil society activities, also beyond the US and politically hot periods.

Geeky: Indelible Ink 

With the 2nd wave of the pandemic in full swing, this article by IFES comes (unfortunately) again handy. Normally, high-quality ink contains a minimum percentage of 20% of Silver Nitrate to make it truly indelible for a minimum of 72 hours after application. In the context of hygiene requirements during COVID-19 things get slightly more complex: “Indelible Ink in Elections: Mitigating Risks of COVID-19 Transmission While Maintaining Effectiveness.” 

Food For Thought

“An election is a political, cultural and legal process, which culminates on the election day(s) when the eligible citizens express their political will in a purely technical manner: by marking a piece of paper.”

Seemingly Unrelated Extras 

• Artists, Including David Hammons and Barbara Kruger, Reimagine “I Voted” Stickers"New York Magazine" commissioned voting stickers with imaginative designs by 48 artists. They’re awesome.

• Voter Fraud Ruffles New Zealand… 'Bird Of The Year' Competition.

Seriously Unrelated But Also Good

🎵 A group of 30 independent artists releases a solidarity music album as a fundraiser for the Beirut-based NGOs. The tracks are open to listening online, and they are really slick. I like it! 

— That’s it. Until next time! — 

Democracy Bug @DemocracyBug

JAN/FEB election dates 2021. OSCE area (Europe + northern and central Asia) follow @osce_odihr Americas: @OAS_official Africa: @_AfricanUnion + The 🇪🇺European Union Election Observation missions: @eu_eeas 🌍Globally, follow: The Carter Center @CarterCenter and IFES @IFES1987