scholarly journals Weaponizing Election Petitions

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron Erlich ◽  
Nicholas Kerr ◽  
Saewon Park
Keyword(s):  
Classification Scheme ◽  
Election Outcome ◽  
Democratic Legitimacy ◽  
Electoral Process ◽  
National Elections ◽  
Electoral Fraud ◽  
Judicial Intervention ◽  
Legal Challenges ◽  
General Elections

Across Africa's multiparty regimes, losing parliamentary candidates have increasingly relied on electoral courts as an institutional venue to settle post-electoral disputes. However, it remains to be seen whether judicial intervention into the electoral process is indicative of the institutionalization of democratic procedures in Africa. One reason for this is that scholars have not systematically explored the strategic motivations of candidates who mount legal challenges. In this paper, we argue that not all petitioners are the same. While some are genuinely motivated to remedy perceived electoral fraud and procedural irregularities, others use the courts strategically to shift blame for defeat, bolster their future electoral prospects, and even negotiate government jobs. We pilot a classification scheme to distinguish between the motivations of losing candidates in sub-national elections who file electoral petitions and examine its validity using an original database of every sub-national post-election challenge brought before Kenyan courts in the aftermath of the 2013 general elections. Across the 71 sub-national Kenyan post-election challenges where petitioners were losing candidates, we find that only 10 of the cases were coded as \textit{sincere} attempts to overturn the election outcome. To put it simply, we find that a majority of Kenyan petitioners seemingly ``weaponize'' the courts and this strategic use has implications for research on the role of the judiciary in promoting democratic legitimacy.

scholarly journals National Elections and Political Apathy: A Comparative Study of Voter Turnout in the 2019 General Elections of Nigeria and South Africa

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth Nweke ◽  
Eunice Etido-Inyang
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Voter Turnout ◽  
Political Elite ◽  
The Political ◽  
Electoral Process ◽  
National Elections ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
General Elections ◽  
Political Apathy ◽  
The Impact

This research examines the impact of political apathy on electoral participation in Nigeria and South Africa in the 2019 general elections. The paper determined the causes of political apathy, its impact on the electoral process as well as its trend (voter turnout) in the general elections of 2019 in Nigeria and South. This research was borne out of the need to address the increasing rate of political apathy, especially voter turnout in both democratic nations. The research argued that the causes of political apathy, particularly poor voter turnout in the two countries are attributable to political marginalisation, corruption, lack of trust in the electoral process, political violence and militarisation of the electoral system. The research further found that there is no significant difference in the nature and trend of the political apathy (voter turnout) in both countries. The Rational Choice Theory (Downs, 1957) and the Democratic Deprivation Theory (Ebenezer, 2017) were used to theoretically justify the potentials of political apathy in undermining democratic participation. This study used descriptive research design to determine the impact of political apathy on the 2019 national elections in both countries. Trends and nature of political apathy, particularly voter turnout in the two countries were ascertained using secondary data and the analysis was based on content analysis in view of the historical trends and nature of the research. The research concluded that there is an obvious decline in political participation in both countries due to lack of trust in the electoral process, among others, which has largely undermined the interest of the electorate in the political systems of both countries. This research, therefore, recommends that political elite in both countries should be transparent, honest, responsible and responsive in order to encourage voter turnout in both countries at future national elections. A free, fair and credible electoral process, the study also recommended, would help rebuild citizens’ confidence in both countries’ electoral processes.

scholarly journals The Patriotic Front’s use popular music in the 2016 Elections in Zambia: A literature review

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucia Kalobwe
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Popular Music ◽  
Political Communication ◽  
Political Campaign ◽  
Electoral Process ◽  
General Elections

This paper reviews recent studies that examine how music has been used for electioneering in in the 2016 general elections in Zambia. After a survey of several papers addressing music and elections in contemporary Zambia, a total of three papers specific to the 2016 elections are examined, these are: “Music and its Role in the Electoral Process of Zambia” by Namuyamba et al (2018); “The Discursive Role of Music in African Elections: A Perspective from Zambia” by Mambwe (2019); and “Singing Dununa Reverse: Interrogating the Symbolic, Political, Cultural and Patriotic Perspectives in a Zambian Political Campaign Song” by Lumbwe (2017). From the three papers examined, there is an acknowledgement of the power that music has in communicating key messages in elections. Music has become an important element Zambian electioneering as parties have recognized how effective they can reach masses. Further, in the electioneering context, music can be used and examined differently. The papers analyzed demonstrate that there exists latitude in what music can achieve for political communication.

scholarly journals High-quality journalism in the face of Donald Trump’s theory of electoral fraud: the information strategy of the media in the 2020 US presidential election

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Concha Pérez-Curiel ◽  
Ricardo Domínguez-García ◽  
Ana-María Velasco-Molpeceres
Keyword(s):  
First Century ◽  
Political Crisis ◽  
Electoral Process ◽  
Electoral Fraud ◽  
Analysis Methodology ◽  
The Face ◽  
The Media ◽  
The Masses ◽  
Comparative Content

The institutional political crisis is posited to be a great risk facing twenty-first-century societies. The instability of democracy, the increase in misinformation in electoral processes, and distrust by citizens are facts that are confirmed by studies such as The Economist Intelligence Unit (2018) or Freedom in the World (2018). In the context of the most recent US elections (3-Nov-2020), President Donald Trump initiated a dialog focused on an allegation of electoral fraud that mobilized the masses and culminated in an assault on the Capitol. In parallel, Twitter endorses the role of journalism (@ABC, @AP, @CBSNews, @CNN, @FoxNews, @NBCNews, and @Reuters) as a gatekeeper to lies on the Internet. The aim of this study is to determined how the media treated the electoral process on their Twitter accounts, analyze the strategies they followed to combat Trump’s fallacy, and verify the extent to which they contributed or not to the spread of the conspiracy theory. Using a general sample of tweets (n1 = 3,577), we applied a comparative content analysis methodology with a three-pronged approach (quantitative-qualitative-discursive) based on the use of keyword indicators (n2 = 34,430). The results confirm that the media offered verified content on the electoral process, using different sources and avoiding reproduction of Donald Trump’s delegitimization speech. In general, they engaged in a fight against the theory of electoral fraud, against disinformation, and against the polarization of citizens, which are factors that have marked a scenario of doubt about the future of democracy.

A Review of the Electoral Process under Ghana's Fourth Republic

2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 355-377
Author(s):  
Lydia A. Nkansah ◽  
Delali A. Gawu
Keyword(s):  
Rule Of Law ◽  
Electoral Process ◽  
The Rule Of Law ◽  
Members Of Parliament ◽  
Electoral Cycle ◽  
Fourth Republic ◽  
General Elections ◽  
Election Results

There have been seven general elections, under Ghana's Fourth Republic, to elect presidents and members of parliament. There are laws regulating the electoral process and election results have generally been accepted and, in a few cases, challenged through the laid-down process. Elections in Ghana are nonetheless reportedly flawed with irregularities tainting the outcome and creating tensions and sometimes pockets of violence. This article examines the electoral process under Ghana's Fourth Republic, namely the adoption of regulations for each electoral cycle, voters’ registration and the voters’ register, nomination of aspirants, voting, counting of votes and declaration of the results. To ensure the integrity of the electoral process, the laws regulating elections should comply with the dictates of the procedural requirements of the rule of law and the Electoral Commission's actions must be consistent with these laws.

Political Communication: Redefining Contemporary Political Management Practices

2019 ◽  
Vol 118 (11) ◽  
pp. 255-268
Author(s):  
Amit Kumar
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Political Communication ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Complex Nature ◽  
Political Event ◽  
Indian Politics ◽  
Modern Politics ◽  
Political Branding ◽  
General Elections

Modern politics, particularly prevalent in the Western Democracies, is replete with instances wherein communication has come to play a pivotal role in the formation or dislodging a government. This is not to say that in traditional political scenario, the role of communication was any lesser. Far from it, communication has always characterized the build-up of events in politics. However, the significance of the same has increased manifold thanks to the advent of social media and complex nature of modern politics as well as due to rise of such concepts as political branding which has gained traction in the wake of proliferation of technology. The same holds true in the Indian political scenario as well. The last few years have redefined the role of communication and its tools in Indian politics, especially during a mega-political event like election. The last two general elections were testimonies to the same. The might of social media has been realized by even its staunchest critics. Along with it, the popular concept of permanent campaign has also characterized the phenomenon of political communication. This paper goes on to explore the underlying concept of political communication and how the same has come to influence the turn of events as well as the final outcome of an election.

The Role of National Constitutional Courts in European Democracy

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dieter Grimm
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Economic Liberalization ◽  
Democratic Legitimacy ◽  
European Law ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Constitutional Courts ◽  
European Court ◽  
European Democracy ◽  
And Function

This chapter examines the role of national constitutional courts in European democracy. It first provides an overview of national constitutional courts in Europe, focusing on the requirements that they impose on national institutions and the consequences of those requirements at the treaty level—i.e., transferring national powers to the European Union and regulating how these powers are exercised; at the level of the EU’s exercise of these powers; and at the level of implementing European law within national legal systems. The chapter also discusses how the European Court of Justice’s jurisprudence enabled the European treaties to function as a constitution; the non-political mechanism of EU decisions and how it promotes economic liberalization; and how the design and function of European primary law undermine democracy. The chapter suggests that the democratic legitimacy imparted to the EU’s decisions by its citizens can only develop within the framework of the European Parliament’s powers.

scholarly journals “Red Vienna” and the rise of the populist right

2021 ◽  
pp. 096977642110316
Author(s):  
Juergen Essletzbichler ◽  
Johannes Forcher
Keyword(s):  
Demographic Development ◽  
National Elections ◽  
Capital Cities ◽  
Left Behind ◽  
Housing Costs ◽  
Ward Level ◽  
Disadvantaged Neighbourhoods ◽  
Election Results ◽  
Municipal Housing

While research on the spatial variation in populist right voting focuses on the role of “places left behind”, this paper examines the spatial distribution of populist right voting in one of the fastest growing capital cities of Europe, Vienna. Combining detailed electoral data of the 2017 national elections at the statistical ward level and the location of municipal housing units, the paper examines why the populist right “Austrian Freedom Party” (FPOE) performs better in the former bulwarks of socialism, in the municipal housing areas of “Red Vienna”. The paper links the socio-demographic development of Vienna and its municipal housing policy with election results and explores three possible reasons for elevated FPOE shares in municipal housing areas: rising housing costs pushed an increasing number of socially and economically vulnerable into the municipal housing sector and so increased the FPOE voter pool in those areas; European Union accession and changes in regulation allowed foreign citizens to apply to and obtain municipal housing flats triggering a backlash from Austrian municipal housing residents; and municipal housing is located in disadvantaged neighbourhoods further enhancing the FPOE voter pool. The paper demonstrates that higher FPOE vote shares in areas with high municipal housing shares are due primarily to higher shares of formally less educated residents, neighbourhood context and they are marginally elevated in those municipal housing areas experiencing a larger influx of foreign residents.

Design and development of biometric voting system using fingerprint and facial recognition

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 34-43
Author(s):  
A. Okandeji ◽  
M.B. Olajide ◽  
A.A. Okubanjo ◽  
F. Onaifo
Keyword(s):  
Facial Recognition ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Electoral Process ◽  
Viable Option ◽  
Electoral Fraud ◽  
Audio Processing ◽  
Security Breaches ◽  
Election Process ◽  
Distorted Version ◽  
Voting System

The election process adopted in Nigeria is mostly paper based or manual. This manually handled process can be time-consuming, and prone to security breaches and electoral fraud. Consequently, this work proposes a biometrically authenticated voting system to provide inexpensive solution to the electoral process in Nigeria. In particular, the biometric database is constructed by filling it with the audio fingerprints and the associated metadata of many audio clips, and then the fingerprint of an unknown clip (or the distorted version of the clip brought by compression or standard audio processing) is extracted and compared to that of the clip in the database. If the fingerprint of the unknown clip is in the database, it will be correctly identified by the matching procedures. The project is implemented with biometric system i.e. fingerprint scanning and facial recognition. Accordingly, this is used to ensure enhanced security, and to avoid fake, repeated voting. Results obtained showed that the proposed system is fast, accurate, reliable, and cost effective, thus a viable option to replace the manual voting process. Keywords: Biometrics, electoral process, facial recognition, finger print scanning

Land politics

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian Lund
Keyword(s):  
Interest Groups ◽  
House Prices ◽  
New Towns ◽  
Political Conflicts ◽  
Land Politics ◽  
General Elections ◽  
Local Use ◽  
Rural England ◽  
Green Belts

This chapter explores political conflicts over the land issue. It examines the role of land value in house prices over time, the thinking underlying Henry George’s land tax proposal, the fate of the various attempts to tax betterment value and Lloyd George’s challenge to the landed aristocracy. The politics of planning controls are reviewed with particular reference to the influence of interest groups such as the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England. The fortunes of Green Belts, New Towns, Eco-towns, Regional Development Agencies and the local use and national responses to development control are investigated. The connections between planning control and the containment of urban Britain are examined as are the electoral politics of land release in the 2010 and 2015 General Elections.

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