Edited by Toby S. James, Victor Shale and Khabele Matlosa

There is strong evidence that we have entered into a democratic recession – where the quality of democracy is being reversed around the world. As the organisations responsible for running elections, election management bodies (EMBs) are at the fulcrum of the challenge of protecting democracy.

This special issue on ‘Safeguarding Election Management Bodies in the Age of Democratic Recession’ aims to consider the emerging challenges that EMBs are facing, and how they can be best equipped to respond to them. It was the product of a conference organised by A-Web and the South African Electoral Commission, held in Cape Town, October 2022

The introduction begins by defining some characteristics of a democratic recession and mapping global trends in democratic quality. It charts global trends in election quality and maps variation in the quality of electoral management worldwide. The introductory article then considers the implications of a democratic recession for EMBs and how international and regional organisations have sought to address these problems. Finally, it introduces articles in the special issue ahead.

Articles then focus on the following four themes:

Theme	Focus
The broad trajectory of democracy	– Global patterns – Complex causes (crisis of contemporary capitalism and globalization, populism, the resurgence of war, unconstitutional changes of government and mismanagement of diversity, state legitimacy)
Electoral management bodies	– Patterns of EMB performance – Factors affecting performance (resource, bureaucratic culture, independence, polarization) – Workforce size and training – The story of the Electoral Commission of South Africa
Societal challenges	– The impact of social media – A human rights framework for understanding the digital nature of elections
Policy instruments	– Combatting electoral misinformation and disinformation (lessons from Brazil) – Constitution building Inclusive accessing voting procedures – Electoral assistance (e.g. civic and voter education, supporting peer organisations, professionalising civil society and using electoral observation) – – – The role of inter-governmental bodies

The special issue can be accessed here: https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/rsaj20/30/3?nav=tocList or with the links below.

Contents:

• Introduction:  Safeguarding election management bodies in the age of global democratic recession, Toby James (University of East Anglia, UK), Khabele Matlosa (University of Johannesburg, South Africa) and Victor Shale (Electoral Commission of South Africa, South Africa)
• Global trends and impact of democratic recession: Hard choices for the Global South, Khabele Matlosa (University of Johannesburg, South Africa)
• Discrepancy between theory and practice: Democratic recession or a crisis of state legitimacy? Mohamed Salih (Erasmus University Rotterdam, Netherlands)
• African election management bodies in the era of democratic backsliding, Sonali Campion (University of East Anglia) and Attahiru Muhammadu Jega (Bayero University, Nigeria)
• Are polarized elections the hardest to deliver? Explaining global variations in electoral management body performance’ Toby James (University of East Anglia, UK) and Holly Ann Garnett (Royal Military College Canada)
• ‘Election staff training: Tracing global patterns of institutionalisation’, Toby S. James (University of East Anglia, UK) , Holly Ann Garnett (Royal Military College Canada), Erik Asplund (International IDEA, Sweden) and Sonali Campion (University of East Anglia, UK) .
• Electoral management for a maturing democracy: A look at the contribution of the South African Electoral Commission Dirk Kotzé (University of South Africa, South Africa)
• Seeing the forest – and the trees: The global challenge of regulating social media for democracy, Nanjala Nyabola (Kings College London, UK)
• Reconstructing elections in a digital world Dad Nighat (Digital Rights Foundation, Pakistan) and Shymla Khan (Digital Rights Foundation, Pakistan)
• Preserving trust in democracy:  The Brazilian Superior Electoral Court’s quest to tackle disinformation in elections, Rafael Rubio and Vitor de Andrade Monteiro
• Constitution-building and safeguarding the integrity of elections in Africa Oagile Bethuel Key Dingake
• ‘Inclusive elections? The case of persons with disabilities in the European Union’ Amin Rabitsch, Alejandro Moledo and Michael Lidauer
• Mitigating the impact of democratic recession through electoral assistance Baidessou Soukolgue (Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa, South Africa)
• The role of the African Union in tackling democratic recession in Africa Robert Gerenge (University of Witwatersrand, South Africa)

BOOK REVIEWS

• Liberalism and Its Discontents, By Francis Fukuyama. Reviewed by: Sishuwa Sishuwa
• How to Rig an Election, By Nic Cheeseman and Brian Klaas. Reviewed by: Mpilo Pearl Sithole
• Why Bother With Elections?, By Adam Przeworski. Reviewed by: Victor Shale
• Electoral Violence, Corruption, and Political Order, By Sarah Birch. Reviewed by: Leontine Loeber

Watch the launch below!