Contents
I.
Introduction ......................................................................................................................................... 1
II.
Annulments as a Remedy for Electoral Irregularities........................................................................... 2
Legal Approaches to Annulment .............................................................................................................. 2
When Irregularities Are Outcome-Determinative ............................................................................... 6
When Tainted Votes Are Determinable ............................................................................................... 8
When Tainted Votes Are Undeterminable ........................................................................................... 9
III.
Grounds for Annulment ..................................................................................................................... 10
Voter Registration Irregularities ............................................................................................................. 12
Polling and Counting Irregularities ......................................................................................................... 12
Problems with the Transmission, Tabulation, and Certification of Results ........................................... 13
Campaign Finance Violations.................................................................................................................. 14
Developing Threats, Such as Cyberattacks and Disinformation ............................................................. 14
Referendum Irregularities ...................................................................................................................... 15
IV.
Procedural Considerations ................................................................................................................. 16
Presumption of Validity and Burden of Proof ........................................................................................ 16
Standard of Evidence .............................................................................................................................. 19
Timeline .................................................................................................................................................. 22
V.
Conclusion .......................................................................................................................................... 24