Hacia un Índice Global de Justicia Electoral

Abstract

Globally, a wide variety of indices and indicators evaluate and provide information on different aspects of democracy and electoral procedures. On the one hand, there are indices that measure the quality of democracy and its resilience over time, focusing on building blocks such as the existence of representative governments, civil and political rights and necessary power limits. Other indices evaluate the quality of elections and specific aspects, such as voter registration, campaign financing and the performance of electoral authorities. Finally, others evaluate rule of law and access to justice. However, none of these indices focuses on the dimension of electoral justice, understood as the means and procedural mechanisms that guarantee free and fair elections, carried out in accordance with the law, and that guarantee the exercise and fulfilment of political rights. This is about to change. International IDEA, with the support of the Electoral Tribunal of the Federal Judiciary of Mexico, makes an unprecedented proposal for the construction of a Global Index dedicated exclusively to electoral justice. This document includes a measurement proposal with normative design, process and result indicators, which will offer useful and comparative information on the electoral conflict resolution system of a given country or countries. It will provide comparative knowledge on electoral processes and institutions from around the world and assess the quality of their electoral justice.