Following 8 years under the directorship of Professor Pippa Norris, we are pleased to introduce our new director and deputy director of the Electoral Integrity Project, beginning in January 2021.
Director – Holly Ann Garnett
Holly Ann Garnett is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the Royal Military College of Canada and cross-appointed faculty at Queen’s University, in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Her research interests include electoral management, election technology and cyber-security, registration and voting procedures, civic literacy, and campaign finance. Dr. Garnett was the co-convenor of the Electoral Management Network.
Deputy Director – Toby S. James
Toby S. James is a Professor of Politics and Public Policy at the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom. He is known for his work on the delivery and management of elections, and on political leadership and the policy process. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the journal Policy Studies. Professor James was the co-convenor of the Electoral Management Network.
Moving Forward
We intend to continue the legacy of Pippa Norris, and the EIP team from 2012-2020, including:
1) Cross-National Perceptions of Electoral Index – Experts, please watch your emails for an invitation to fill out the survey for elections that took place in 2019-2020. We intend to have a mid-term report and new cross-national dataset available this Summer.
2) Annual Workshop – Our annual workshop planned last year for Lisbon (July 2020) will take place this summer. Stay tuned for information as we continue planning for a virtual and in-person (hybrid) conference.
3) Practitioner Guidance – We will provide bespoke advice to practitioners and policy makers on how to improve electoral integrity, building on existing and new partnerships.
4) Media Commentary – We will provide media commentary on developments in electoral integrity worldwide, and begin a database of experts for public commentary on electoral issues.
We have several activities planned for the coming year, including:
1) New Data Collection Projects – We have a number of new data collection projects relating to electoral management and voting, and registration processes cross-nationally. We look forward to sharing them with you soon.
2) New International Advisory Board – We will be inviting new scholars to take part in the International Advisory Board in January. We look forward to including emerging scholars and practitioners in this endeavour.
3) New Hybrid (virtual/in-person) Seminar Series - Launching next September, our new seminar series will allow for participation from around the globe through an online hybrid seminar series.
4) New Partnerships – We are excited to be partnering with new academic institutions, and both new and existing practitioner organizations. Our offices and staff will be located in Kingston, Ontario, Canada (Royal Military College and Queen’s University) and in Norwich, UK (University of East Anglia). Please see our new contact information below.
Over the next two years we have identified three key areas of study on electoral integrity that will be our major research focus:
1) Elections and COVID – Co-Director Toby James is PI on an ESRC-funded study with Alistair Clark and Erik Asplund from International IDEA on how the pandemic is shaping electoral integrity.
2) Cyber-Threats to Democracy – Director Holly Ann Garnett is leading a series of research studies, funded in part by a NATO Resiliency Grant, on public trust and civic attitudes in an era of dis- and mis-information.
3) Participation of Under-Represented Groups – Building on the edited volume ‘Building Inclusive Elections,’ we are prioritizing the further study of the participation of marginalized groups, with a specific focus this year on citizens with low literacy levels and disabilities.
We look forward to hearing from you!
Our staff and offices have moved to the Royal Military College of Canada, the University of East Anglia, and Queen’s University. Please note our new contact information:
Email: electoralintegrity@gmail.com
Website: https://www.electoralintegrityproject.com/
Mailing Address (Canada):
Electoral Integrity Project
c/o Dr. Holly Ann Garnett
Department of Political Science and Economics
Royal Military College of Canada
PO Box 17000, Station Forces
Kingston, Ontario CANADA
K7K 7B4