Honesty in Postal Elections: How to Approach the Integrity of Postal Voting?

The paper aims to define the concept of integrity postal voting systems and its dimensions (e.g., secret ballot, political equality) from a normative point of view. The proposed paper is framed by the question of how to approach the integrity of postal voting from a normative point of view. The integrity of elections is crucial for a functional democratic state. According to some, it is what determines the (in)democratic character of a state [1]. The holding of genuine elections is threatened by old (lack of inclusiveness, electoral corruption) and new (misinformation, pandemics) threats. With the help of the most traditional of non-traditional voting techniques - postal voting - states are trying to mitigate some of the threats [2,3]. At the same time, however, postal voting is being used as a (co-)tool of some threats to undermine the integrity of elections [4]. The erosion of trust in the integrity of elections then contributes to the erosion of trust in democracy [5]. As postal voting remains the most widely used alternative voting technique in the 21st century, it is important to come up with ways to increase its integrity and reduce threats to its integrity. Given the lack of uniform standards for postal voting, this task poses a challenge. The difficulty of meeting the challenge is compounded by the fact that the very concept of electoral integrity is contested, i.e., definable in many ways [6], and the fact that no one has yet defined the concept of integrity of postal voting systems. The authors distinguish roughly four to six broad (research) approaches to electoral integrity (legal, international norms and good practice, administrative, democratic theory, and perceptual) [7]. The existing research on postal voting can then be divided into three streams (legal, political science, and the 'e-voting' stream). Their integration with the broader approaches to electoral integrity has not yet occurred, or only to a limited extent. The development of interest in 'righ' postal voting is therefore a matter of today and tomorrow [8]. The author aims to do so with respect to the normative approach to electoral integrity. Sources [1] Schedler. Elections Without Democracy: The Menu of Manipulation. 2002 [2] Garnett, James. Introduction: The Case for Inclusive Voting Practices. 2020 [3] Wagner. Responding to COVID-19 with 100 percent Postal Voting: Local Elections in Bavaria, Germany. 2020 [4] Benkler, Yochai, et al. Mail-in voter fraud: Anatomy of a disinformation campaign. 2020 [5] Norris. Big Little Election Lies: Cynical and Credulous Evaluations of Electoral Fraud. 2024. [6] Van Ham. Getting elections right? Measuring electoral integrity. 2015 [7] Jarabinský. Electoral Integrity in Central Europe: An Insight into the Electoral Rules and Reality. 2020. [8] Nyhuis, et al. Implementing the Mail Ballot: In Search of Best Practices. 2024