The Rise and Consequences of Low-Quality International Election Monitors

Sarah Bush
Associate 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.
Sarah Bush is associate professor of political science at the University of Pennsylvania. Her research examines how international actors try to aid democracy, promote women’s representation, and influence elections globally and more recently, the politics of climate change. She has authored two books: The Taming of Democracy Assistance: Why Democracy Promotion Does Not Confront Dictators (Cambridge University Press, 2015) and Monitors and Meddlers: How Foreign Actors Influence Local Trust in Elections (Cambridge University Press, 2022) with Lauren Prather and has articles in journals such as the American Political Science Review and International Organization. She holds a PhD from Princeton University.