Local Perceptions and Media Representations of Election Observation in Africa

During several recent elections in Africa - most noticeably in Kenya's 2017 polls - questions have been raised about the competency and partiality of observation missions, and about the future of observation both on the continent and elsewhere. Despite observers having had some successes in detecting and deterring certain types of electoral fraud, and having played a central role in helping to spread basic election technologies across Africa, these recent criticisms pose a significant risk to the credibility of observer groups.
This project is timely as it will improve understandings, for both academics and practitioners, of election observation in two areas: Firstly, it will investigate local perceptions on a range of issues relating to election observation missions. Despite the fact that citizens in the countries that host election observation missions are one of election observation's major intended beneficiaries, their views are generally overlooked in the academic literature. In addressing this gap, the project will develop understandings of how people in host countries evaluate the goals, performance, and methods of both international and domestic election observation initiatives. The findings will be of particular interest to observer groups, as local perceptions are central to the question of the credibility of election observers - and ultimately their ability to do their work effectively. They will also have a broader importance as they will allow for the views of non-elite Africans to be better represented in academic and policy debates on the topic of election observation, which are currently dominated by European and North American perspectives. Secondly, this project will investigate how information produced by, and relating to, election observation missions circulates via traditional and social media, as well as the ways in which it can be distorted through this process. It will consider the impact that disinformation and the actions of politicians have on election observation in the current political climate. The academic literature has, to date, also paid little attention to this topic despite the fact that, during recent elections, observation missions and their statements have often been misrepresented across various forms of media.
For the purposes of this project, three country case studies have been selected; we will conduct research both before and after the national elections in Tanzania, Zambia and Gambia. The project will use a mixed methodology with a qualitative approach supplemented by a survey element designed to support our findings with some quantitative data. The primary research methods will be a combination of focus groups, group interviews and semi-structured interviews with non-elite citizens. This approach is designed to solicit local perceptions on election observation and to investigate how people obtain information about observation missions. We will also conduct more targeted interviews with key informants, such as journalists and politicians, to better understand how information circulates. The project will also monitor traditional and social media coverage of election observation.
The project findings will be shared with election observation practitioners through evidence-based policy recommendations. These will suggest ways to improve communication strategies during future election observation missions, and how to better align the practices of election observers with the preferences of the citizens in the host countries. This will have the long-term effect of improving confidence in the observation missions, making it easier for them to achieve their objectives. Recommendations will also be shared with journalists and editors working for traditional media. They will detail how misrepresentations and misunderstandings in reporting on observation missions can be reduced. If the quality of information that citizens get on their elections improves, then they too will benefit.

The process of election observation draws in a diverse range of actors, from senior policy makers in the international community, to the broader public. This project is intended to have an impact on four diverse beneficiary groups:
1. The first set of beneficiaries are the observation groups. These include intergovernmental organisations, such as the African Union (AU) and European Union (EU), regional bodies, such as the East African Community (EAC) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), large independent foundations and institutes such as The Carter Center, the International Republican Institute (IRI) and the National Democratic Institute (NDI), and a range of national-level civil society and religious organisations that often form the majority of domestic observation initiatives. Through a series of briefing papers and direct communications, the project will provide practitioners working for observation groups with a set of evidence-based policy recommendations that are cognisant of how election observation is perceived locally. They will focus on two major areas. Firstly, they will advise observer groups on how they can improve their communication strategies to avoid the kinds of misrepresentations and misunderstandings that are currently causing them difficulties during observation missions. Secondly, the recommendations will outline local perspectives on a range of observation-related issues, and how the observer groups can better align their practices to the preferences of citizens in host countries. By taking these recommendations, future observation missions will have the potential to mitigate several of the threats to their credibility that they currently face, allowing them to provide a better service on their own terms.
2. The second beneficiaries are the donors of the observation groups. Support for observation missions is obtained from a variety of sources in the diplomatic community, including, inter alia, government departments (such as DANIDA, USAID, and the UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office), intergovernmental organisations (e.g. the European Commission), and - especially for domestic observers - non-governmental organizations (e.g. NDI, and the Westminster Foundation for Democracy). These donors take an active interest in the policy direction of observer groups that they fund, as well as in the recruitment and training of observers. By engaging with them through briefing papers and direct communications, the project will allow these donors to better engage with observer groups on key policy issues.
3. The third group of beneficiaries is the media who report on observation missions. This includes television, print and radio media, both inside the countries hosting the elections and internationally. Through the use of briefing papers, and by hosting workshops in the case study countries, recommendations that will be designed to help the media report on election observation missions more accurately will be circulated. Again, this will reduce the kinds of misrepresentations and misunderstandings that are currently common in the media's coverage of election observation missions.
4. The fourth set of beneficiaries is the broader public. This is not limited to citizens in host countries, but also includes interested parties in other countries - such as policy makers, the development community, investors, and expatriates. A wide range of actors often look to observers for accurate information regarding the quality of elections. If the domestic and international media start reporting on election observation more accurately, all these groups will benefit; an effect that will be magnified if the election observation missions also find better ways to communicate. Citizens in the countries hosting the elections may see particular benefits if the observation missions also decide to bring some elements of their objectives and practices more in line with local preferences.