A credible voter register gives legitimacy to the electoral process and helps prevent electoral fraud. However, voter registration remains a complex and contested task. It is one of the most important activities that an electoral management body needs to conduct, but it is also one of the most costly in terms of both time and resources. Many countries that face challenges in creating an accurate voter register are considering reforming their voter registration systems through the introduction of biometric technologies. The drive towards biometrics has been facilitated by its largely apolitical nature. Investing in high-tech solutions allows stakeholders to demonstrate their commitment to resolving electoral problems. At the same time, expectations on biometric solutions may be exaggerated. This guide provides an overview of key concepts and considerations for all stakeholders involved in discussions about the application of biometrics in elections, both for voter registration before an election and for voter verification at polling stations on election day.

How does the use of digital technology in elections affect the credibility of elections in Kenya? In Africa's presidential systems, elections are winner-take-all contests where victory is critical for securing access to state institutions and resources. Technology use is currently changing the landscape of these contests. Over the past fifteen years, nearly two-thirds of all African countries have introduced the use of digital voting systems in elections, including biometric voter registration, biometric identification, electronic voting, and electronic results transmission. For countries like Kenya with unstable electoral histories, technology is meant to bridge a deficit of political trust by increasing transparency, reducing fraud, and making elections more efficient to announce winners faster and with more certainty. I analyze how technology use affects the credibility of elections in Kenya by examining the electoral commission, political parties, and voters. How does the use of election technology (1) affect the electoral commission's management of elections? (2) affect losers' responses to election results? and (3) affect voters' perceptions of elections? Technology use transforms the process of elections and changes who the election actors are, what access stakeholders have, and what the work of the electoral commission is. Rather than provide a modern method for transparent and efficient elections, I argue that the use of election technology does not solve Kenya's electoral problems and its use creates new unintended complications. Using original data from elite interviews in Kenya, I show that technology use creates impediments to competent election management by the electoral commission and generates new arenas of contestation for losing political parties. Evidence from a survey of Kenyan voters shows that opposition voters are less likely to support election results or have confidence in the electoral commission when technology is used. Opposition voters are also less likely to support future technology use in elections.

The use of computers and other technology introduces a range of risks to electoral integrity. Cybersecurity for Elections explains how cybersecurity issues can compromise traditional aspects of elections, explores how cybersecurity interacts with the broader electoral environment, and offers principles for managing cybersecurity risks.

How do people live in a country that has experienced rebellions and state-organised repressions for decades and that is still marked by routine forms of violence and impunity? What do combatants do when they are not mobilised for war? Drawing on over ten years of fieldwork conducted in Chad, Marielle Debos explains how living by the gun has become both an acceptable form of political expression and an everyday occupation. Contrary to the popular association of violence and chaos, she shows that these fighters continue to observe rules, frontiers and hierarchies, even as their allegiances shift between rebel and government forces, and as they drift between Chad, Libya, Sudan and the Central African Republic. Going further, she explores the role of the globalised politico-military entrepreneurs and highlights the long involvement of the French military in the country. Ultimately, the book demonstrates that ending the war is not enough. The issue is ending the 'inter-war' which is maintained and reproduced by state violence. Combining ethnographic observation with in-depth theoretical analysis, Living by the Gun in Chad is a crucial contribution to our understanding of the intersections of war and peace.

During the 2016 presidential election, America's election infrastructure was targeted by actors sponsored by the Russian government. Securing the Vote: Protecting American Democracy examines the challenges arising out of the 2016 federal election, assesses current technology and standards for voting, and recommends steps that the federal government, state and local governments, election administrators, and vendors of voting technology should take to improve the security of election infrastructure. In doing so, the report provides a vision of voting that is more secure, accessible, reliable, and verifiable.

The use of electronic voting systems has caused controversy in the media and among the general public, and has even come under the scrutiny of the law courts. it has become clear that the uncertainties surrounding the introduction of e-voting are rarely of a technical nature, but primarily raise political and societal concerns. The key issue is to ensure that the principles of free and fair elections are upheld, regardless of the voting method chosen. This handbook is written for governments and organisations considering whether or not to conduct e-voting pilot schemes and trials or to make e-voting a feature of their electoral system. it reviews relevant issues such as building and safeguarding trust in the system, The value of open-source software And The implications of a voter verifiable audit paper trail. Concrete e-voting issues are discussed in the framework of the electoral cycle. This handbook can be used as a stand-alone guide, but governments or organisations would benefit most by consulting it in conjunction with Recommendation Rec(2004)11 of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on legal, operational and technical standards for e-voting

As the American election administration landscape changes as a result of major court cases, national and state legislation, changes in professionalism, and the evolution of equipment and security, so must the work of on-the-ground practitioners change. This Open Access title presents a series of case studies designed to highlight practical responses to these changes from the national, state, and local levels. This book is designed to be a companion piece to The Future of Election Administration, which surveys these critical dimensions of elections from the perspectives of the most forward-thinking practitioner, policy, advocacy, and research experts and leaders in these areas today. Drawing upon principles of professionalism and the practical work that is required to administer elections as part of the complex systems, this book lifts up the voices and experiences of practitioners from around the country to describe, analyze, and anticipate the key areas of election administration systems on which students, researchers, advocates, policy makers, and practitioners should focus. Together, these books add to the emerging body of literature that is part of the election sciences community with an emphasis on the practical aspects of administration.

Building trust and professionalism in the management of electoral processes remains a major challenge for Electoral Management Bodies (EMBs), institutions and/or bodies responsible for managing elections. The 'credibility gap' - the diminished public confidence in the integrity and diligence for many electoral institutions and their activities - is a common problem for EMBs around the world. Many EMBs face basic design questions as they seek to work better: how should EMBs be structured to ensure that they can act independently? How do EMBs relate to stakeholders such as the media, political parties and donors? How can EMBs evaluate their performance and use experience to build sustainable elections? "The Electoral Management Design Handbook" is written for electoral administrators, electoral administration designers and other practitioners involved in building professional, sustainable and cost-effective electoral administrations which can deliver legitimate and credible free and fair elections. It is a comparative study that shares best practices and know-how from around the world on financing, structuring and evaluation of Electoral Management Bodies