Comparative assessment of Central Electoral Agencies : Évaluation comparative d'organismes électoraux centraux : rapport commandé par Élections Canada

The authors were engaged to look at the electoral commissions in Australia, India, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States and to compare the strengths and weaknesses of these EMBs with those of the Canadian federal model as represented by the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer of Canada. [...] The purpose of the study was to provide an analysis of the governance arrangements for national elections in Canada compared to the arrangements in Australia, India, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States. [...] The comparative assessment focuses on the following components of the electoral governance in each country: The national context The legal mandate and the principles and values of the electoral management body (EMB) The structure and composition of the EMB The scope of responsibilities of each EMB, how it is resourced and how it operates to achieve its mandate The nature of the accountab [...] The overview findings include the following observations: The national context – the geography, history, political traditions, constitutional order, the dynamics of power among different parts of the political system and the issues that have arisen around the electoral process – have all shaped the electoral arrangements in each country. [...] The balance between, on the one hand, independence and professionalism and, on the other, accountability and responsiveness to the political process depends on a number of factors in the governance arrangements: how the mandate of an electoral body is set and modified, how the members of each body are appointed and removed, how an electoral body obtains its budget and staffing, the requirements