Election Data Guide
This guide has several potential audiences and uses, for:
- those in the media who may be new to elections and who are looking to get a better understanding of the election process and what kinds of data are produced during each phase of the election process;
- election monitoring organizations, civil society groups, or political parties that want to learn more about open data principles such as analyzable, finely-grained, or license-free and/or how they apply to the data released during elections;
- civil society organizations or media that want a framework for evaluating how "open" their country's election data truly is;
- civil society organizations that may want to advocate for making election data more open and want examples of how data has already been made more open; and
- electoral management bodies (EMBs) responsible for publishing election data that want clear, concrete definitions of open data.
Table of Contents
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Introduction
- Section 1: Electoral Integrity
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Section 2: Open Election Data Principles
- Principle 1: Election data is open when it is timely
- Principle 2: Election data is open when it is granular
- Principle 3: Election data is open when it is available for free on the internet
- Principle 4: Election data is open when it is complete and in bulk
- Principle 5: Election data is open when it is analyzable (i.e., available in a digital, machine readable format)
- Principle 6: Election data is open when it is in a non-proprietary format
- Principle 7: Election data is open when it is non-discriminatory and available to anyone to use without limitations
- Principle 8: Election data is open when it is license-free
- Principle 9: Election data is open when it is permanently available
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Section 3: Key Election Process Categories
- Legal Framework for Elections
- Electoral Boundaries (Districts)
- Election Management Body and Administration
- Election Management Body Processes
- Election Security
- Political Party Registration
- Ballot Qualification
- Election Campaigns
- Campaign Finance
- Voter Registration
- Voter Lists
- Voter Education
- Polling Stations
- Election Results
- Electronic Voting and Counting
- Electoral Complaints, Disputes and Resolution
- Section 4: Open Election Data in Practice: Examples from Latin America
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Acknowledgments