What is electoral integrity? Reconceptualising and re-measuring election quality

Elections are indispensable for the democratic process. The quality of elections has been shown to vary enormously worldwide and have important consequences for democratic participation, peace and security. Recent scholarship on electoral integrity has led to enormous advances in understanding the policy mechanisms for improving the quality of elections (Norris, 2014, 2015, 2017). Despite this, there remains an unresolved debate about what, in conceptual terms, electoral integrity is and how it can be adapted in response new threats from autocrats and subversive actors. This paper introduces a new conceptual framework for understanding electoral integrity by drawing from democratic theory. It then offers a way of measuring electoral integrity through a revised version of the Perceptions of Electoral Integrity Index. The approach is critical analyses and important lessons drawn for prescribing best practices to defend and rich democracy, as well as major scholarly implications for the study of democracy, democratisation, comparative politics and beyond.