electionguide.org

Election Type: The Guide contains election entries for all national-level presidential, parliamentary, and legislative elections. It also has information on important national referenda. Other elections (e.g., local, municipal, mayoral) may also be occasionally included. Election Date: The date of the electoral event is posted on the Guide as soon as it can be confirmed by an official source. (See ElectionGuide Methodology) Information Source: All election entries must be confirmed. Source information used can be obtained by holding the mouse over the checkmark icon. CNN/IFES ElectionWatch: IFES is in partnership with CNN-Interactive to produce CNN/IFES ElectionWatch. Each ElectionWatch spot provides up-to-date information on the country's government structure, electoral system, the main parties and/or candidates standing for election, results of previous elections, and other items of interest about the current political/electoral environment. IFES aims to produce an ElectionWatch spot for every national-level election (e.g, presidential, parliamentary, legislative). Spots are occasionally produced for other electoral events as well, such as noteworthy local or mayoral elections and referenda. Country Election Authorities: The ElectionGuide contains a link for every country which has a central election authority with an internet presence. These sites are reliable sources for official news on electoral rules and regulations, registration information, and election results. Results Summaries: As part of its comprehensive system of gathering election data, IFES's F. Clifton White Resource Center aims to collect the full and final results of elections from country election authorities. Once secured, the results are entered into a summary table which includes data on the number of eligible and/or registered voters, total votes cast, valid and invalid votes, and the number of and percent of valid votes received for each major candidate or political party. Voter Turnout: Voter turnout is one measurement of the value electors place on their role in their country's electoral and governing process. The above icon links to a cross-election comparison of voter turnout levels. Other Information: The above icon links to the many sites on the Internet which address matters related to the country's elections and politics. Also found in this category are links to IFES public opinion surveys and focus group research. Known as Democracy and Governance research, the objective of these surveys is to gain a better understanding of the opinions and attitudes of the populace as they relate to elections, democracy, political developments, etc.