Executive Summary
Introduction
Elections usually involve large, nationwide gatherings, not only on Election Day but also, for example,
during campaign rallies and voter registration drives. These events increase human-to-human contact
and the risks of direct and indirect disease transmission. Few election management bodies (EMBs) have
comprehensive plans in place to manage these activities amid widespread disease outbreaks, leading to
insufficient time, resources and information to make necessary adjustments and hold election events
safely when public health crises suddenly materialize. This has proven to be the case with COVID-19,
the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, which has, to this date, forced the postponement of
national and subnational elections in nearly 60 countries and territories.1 Several EMBs that did decide
to move forward with elections amid the crisis largely failed to address public concerns2 about health,
leading to low voter turnouts, credibility issues, poll worker dropouts and even the infection of some
electoral officials.3
To support EMBs around the world to navigate such complex environments, the International
Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), in collaboration with Management Sciences for Health (MSH),
has drafted this paper focusing on general public health considerations for all key electoral processes
and recommendations to mitigate risks of the COVID-19 virus transmission. The recommendations
presented in this white paper have been informed by general guidance from health authorities such
as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC), the most recent evidence and scientific studies at the time of publication and best practices
and successful measures implemented by EMBs in similar contexts.
Defining the Problem
As EMBs have limited time and resources to acquire supplies and incorporate new procedures to their
processes, it is essential that risk-mitigation efforts are part of an overarching strategy that ensures
optimization of resources and is informed by a contextualized COVID-19 risk assessment. If well
executed, these measures can significantly mitigate the risk of virus transmission and reasonably reduce
people’s fear of infection during electoral processes, which otherwise could drastically reduce voter
turnout and undermine the legitimacy of results.
It should also be noted that, while the recommendations offered in this paper will minimize the risks
to public health and increase the confidence of voters and election officials, different contexts pose
different levels of threat, and in-person elections might not always be the best course of action.
Decisions regarding whether and how to hold various electoral activities will be more successful if they:
Are informed by comprehensive risk assessments developed in coordination with
competent public health authorities;
Accommodate the perspectives of political parties and civil society representing the full
spectrum of constituencies in the country; and
Are based on a common understanding of all of the risks involved in holding elections amid
the crisis.
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