Electoral Commissions and Nigerian Voters

Abstract

Abstract Chapter 7 continues the book’s focus on citizens and takes advantage of original post-election survey data collected in Nigeria (in 2015 and 2019) to understand the consequences of citizens’ experiences with electoral commissions (ECs) on election day. The results suggest that negative interactions—mainly administrative problems such as long lines and malfunctioning voting equipment—have adverse implications for perceptions of election fairness, and future electoral participation. What is even more surprising is that these findings are almost identical across two elections, where INEC’s national-level performance was rated as qualitatively different by observers and election experts. These findings underscore the relevance of balancing the national and the local when studying the impact of ECs, and how malfunctioning election technology can become a focal point for mass distrust of elections.