The Rise and Consequences of Low-Quality International Election Monitors

Sarah Bush
Associated Professor of Political Science
University of Pennsylvania

In the twenty-first century, international election monitoring has grown increasingly complex, with a plateau in high-quality monitors but a troubling rise in low-quality, "zombie" monitors that validate flawed elections and undermine democratic legitimacy. These low-quality monitors often arise in countries with ties to autocratic powers or membership in authoritarian organizations. Their presence not only threatens democracy but also influences the behavior of high-quality observers, who may respond by becoming less critical to avoid challenges from counter-narratives. Using original data from 2000 to 2020, studies reveal that while high-quality monitors have adapted to this competitive landscape, the proliferation of low-quality monitors poses significant challenges to the integrity of international election monitoring.