Electoral Commissions and African Voters

Abstract

Abstract Chapter 6 tests the implications of the book’s theory for citizens. Chapter 6 considers whether electoral commission (EC) autonomy and capacity (measured using Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) data) can explain cross-national variation in citizens’ trust in ECs, their perceptions of election quality, and reported turnout in elections (measured using Afrobarometer data). The findings from multilevel regression analyses indicate that trust in ECs and perceptions of election quality are higher in countries where ECs possess high autonomy and capacity, but EC capacity is most impactful. Furthermore, opposition supporters and politically aware citizens are more responsive to EC autonomy and capacity when forming their attitudes towards ECs and elections than their counterparts. The results also indicate that mass turnout is correlated with EC autonomy and capacity, especially in regimes with moderate to high levels of democracy. The chapter reminds us that citizens are also capable of taking cues from ECs when making their strategic considerations of elections.