Electoral Security Framework

Electoral conflict remains an obstacle to the consolidation of democratic institutions for many countries. Even in stable political environments, elections can fall victim to conflict. Although a problem that is global in scope, electoral conflict and its root causes, profiles and intensities differ in each country context. If development programming is not undertaken to prevent, manage or mediate electoral conflict, then elections risk becoming venues for violence and intimidation,...
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Electoral conflict remains an obstacle to the consolidation of democratic institutions for many countries. Even in stable political environments, elections can fall victim to conflict. Although a problem that is global in scope, electoral conflict and its root causes, profiles and intensities differ in each country context. If development programming is not undertaken to prevent, manage or mediate electoral conflict, then elections risk becoming venues for violence and intimidation, where conflict is employed as a political tactic to influence electoral outcomes. The importance of this issue extends beyond the electoral process alone, as the legitimacy of the resulting government is also at risk in situations where conflict has been employed to achieve governance. Perpetrators of electoral conflict may act without legal consequences, engendering a culture of impunity for such crimes. Recurring electoral conflict can create public perceptions that link elections to violence, leading to unfavorable views of the democratic process. Electoral conflict can also have regional implications, as internal conflicts might spill into neighboring countries. Electoral conflict is an issue that bridges two development portfolios at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) - Elections and Political Processes (EPP) and Conflict Management and Mitigation (CMM). As such, it poses unique programming challenges for USAID in its effort to coordinate these two development priorities. The Electoral Security Framework (the Framework) presented in this Technical Guidance Handbook reflects a blended perspective of the USAID Democracy and Governance Assessment Framework, USAID's Conflict Assessment Framework (CAF) and the Interagency Conflict Assessment Framework (ICAF). The Electoral Security Framework presents analytical concepts intended to be compatible with these existing USAID Frameworks while also distinctively addressing electoral conflict. The Framework can be used on either side of this complex set of development issues - bringing a conflict dimension to electoral assistance programming or an electoral dimension to conflict management and mitigation. The Framework is relevant for and should be used by practitioners on either side. The Framework aims to fill what has been described as a "yawning gap of knowledge about how programming can more consistently and effectively address the causes, manifestations, and consequences of election violence." The Framework is a diagnostic instrument that profiles electoral conflict for the development of program strategies and activities to prevent, manage or mediate this conflict. As such, it is applicable in two different kinds of scenarios: otherwise stable environments where elections may trigger conflict (i.e. Bangladesh); and conflict or post-conflict environments (i.e. Sudan). The purpose of this Handbook is to provide USAID Democracy and Governance (DG) Officers with a guide to the Framework and its application for the development of sustainable electoral security systems.