An election commission is a body charged with overseeing the implementation of electioneering process of any country. The formal names of election commissions vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and may be styled an electoral commission, a central or state election commission, or an election board, an electoral council or an electoral court. Election commissions can be independent, mixed, judicial or executive. They may also be responsible for electoral

boundary delimitation Electoral boundary delimitation (or simply boundary delimitation or delimitation) is the drawing of boundaries of electoral precincts and related divisions involved in elections, such as Federated state, states, counties or other municipalities ...

. In

federation A federation (also called a federal state) is an entity characterized by a political union, union of partially federated state, self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a #Federal governments, federal government (federalism) ...

s there may be a separate body for each subnational government. An election commission has a duty to ensure elections are conducted in an orderly manner.

Electoral models

Independent model

In the independent model the election commission is independent of the executive and manages its own budget. Countries with an independent election commission include Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, India, Jordan, Nigeria, Pakistan, Poland, Romania, South Africa, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand and the United Kingdom. In some of these countries the independence of the election commission is constitutionally guaranteed, e.g. section 190 of the

Constitution of South Africa The Constitution of South Africa is the supreme law of the Republic of South Africa. It provides the legal foundation for the existence of the republic, it sets out the human rights and duties of its citizens, and defines the structure of t ...

Branch model

In the branch model the election commission is often called an electoral branch, and is usually a constitutionally-recognized separate branch of government, with its members appointed by either the executive or the legislative branch. Countries with an electoral branch include Bolivia, Costa Rica, Panama, Nicaragua and Venezuela.

Mixed model

In the mixed-model there is an independent board to determine policy, but implementation is usually a matter for an executive department with varying degrees of supervision by the independent board. Countries with such a model include Cameroon, France, Germany, Japan, Senegal and Spain.

Executive model

In the executive model the election commission is directed by a cabinet minister as part of the executive branch of government, and may include

local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of governance or public administration within a particular sovereign state. Local governments typically constitute a subdivision of a higher-level political or administrative unit, such a ...

authorities acting as agents of the central body. Countries with this model include Denmark, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, Tunisia. In the United States, elections for federal, state, and local offices are run by the executive branch of each state government.

Judicial model

In the judicial model the election commission is closely supervised by and ultimately responsible to a special "''electoral court''". Countries with such a model include Argentina, Brazil and Mexico.

List of election commissions

* ** Independent Election Commission (defunct since 2021) ** Election Complaints Commission (defunct since 2021) *:

Central Election Commission An election commission is a body charged with overseeing the implementation of electioneering process of any country. The formal names of election commissions vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and may be styled an electoral commission, a c ...

* ** Dirección Nacional Electoral ** Cámara Nacional Electoral *:

Australian Electoral Commission The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) is the independent statutory agency of the Australian Government responsible for the management and oversight of Australian federal elections, plebiscites, referendums and some trade union A ...

**:

Electoral Commission An election commission is a body charged with overseeing the implementation of electioneering process of any country. The formal names of election commissions vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and may be styled an electoral commission, a c ...

**:

Election Commission An election commission is a body charged with overseeing the implementation of electioneering process of any country. The formal names of election commissions vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and may be styled an electoral commission, a c ...

*: Electoral and Boundaries Commission *:

*: Elections and Boundaries Commission * **

Plurinational Electoral Organ The Plurinational Electoral Organ () is the independent electoral branch of the government of Bolivia. It replaced the National Electoral Court in 2010. Composition and function The OEP consists of the 7-member Supreme Electoral Tribunal, t ...

(since 2010) **'' National Electoral Court'' (defunct since 2010) *:

Independent Electoral Commission An election commission is a body charged with overseeing the implementation of electioneering process of any country. The formal names of election commissions vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and may be styled an electoral commission, a c ...

Federal Public Service Interior The FPS Interior (, , ), formerly the Ministry of the Interior, is a Federal Public Service of Belgium. It was created by Royal Order on 14 January 2002, as part of the plans of the Verhofstadt I Government to modernise the federal administratio ...

Superior Electoral Court The Superior Electoral Court (, TSE) is the highest body of the Brazilian Election Justice, Brazilian Electoral Justice, which also comprises one Regional Electoral Court (Brazil), Regional Electoral Court (, TRE) in each of the 26 states and th ...

Regional Electoral Courts Regional Electoral Court (, TRE) is the judicial body that is in charge of elections at the state level in Brazil. There are 27 TREs, one for each Brazilian state, plus one for the Federal District. Responsibilities The operation of the regional e ...

National Election Committee The National Election Committee (NEC; , , ''KChB'') is an independent agency that supervises the national elections of Cambodia. Its official motto is "Independence, Neutrality, Truthfulness, Justice and Transparency". Members Criticism The o ...

Elections Canada Elections Canada () is the non-partisan agency responsible for administering elections in Canada, Canadian federal elections and Referendums in Canada, referendums. History Elections Canada is an agency of the Parliament of Canada, and reports ...

Élections Québec Élections Québec () is the independent office of the National Assembly of Quebec that oversees the administration of the electoral and referendum system in Quebec, Canada. It is led by the Chief Electoral Officer of Quebec (, ; DGEQ). Chief Ele ...

Elections Alberta Elections Alberta is an independent, non-partisan office of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta responsible for administering provincial elections, by-elections, and referendums within the province. This is in accordance with the Alberta Election ...

Elections BC Elections BC (formally the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer of British Columbia) is a non-partisan office of the British Columbia legislature responsible for conducting provincial and local elections, by-elections, petitions, referendums, p ...

Elections Manitoba Elections Manitoba () is the non-partisan agency of the Government of Manitoba responsible for the conduct and regulation of provincial elections in Manitoba. Its responsibilities are to operate free of political influence; conduct Manitoba's ...

Elections New Brunswick Elections New Brunswick () is the non-partisan agency of the legislative assembly in New Brunswick charged with running provincial elections, municipal elections, district education council and regional health authority elections. The Chief Elect ...

Elections Newfoundland & Labrador Elections Newfoundland & Labrador is the non-partisan agency in Newfoundland & Labrador, of the legislative assembly charged with running provincial elections. References External links * Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labr ...

Elections Nova Scotia Elections Nova Scotia is the non-partisan agency in Nova Scotia, of the legislative assembly charged with running provincial elections and administering provincial referendums. The ''Elections Act 2011'' established Elections Nova Scotia as an ind ...

Elections Nunavut Elections Nunavut is an independent agency that oversees elections and plebiscites in Nunavut, including: * all general elections and by-elections for the 22 Members of the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut, according to the Nunavut Elections Act. ...

Elections NWT Elections NWT () is an independent, non-partisan public agency responsible for the administration of territorial general elections, by-elections, and plebiscites in accordance with the ''Elections and Plebiscites Act''. Elections NWT is headed by t ...

Elections Ontario Elections Ontario () is an independent office of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario responsible for the administration of provincial elections and referendums. It is charged with the implementation and enforcement of the ''Election Act'' ( R.S.O ...

Elections Prince Edward Island Elections Prince Edward Island is the Prince Edward Island non-partisan agency of the legislative assembly charged with running provincial elections, referendums, and municipal elections. References External links * Prince Edward Island ...

Elections Saskatchewan Elections Saskatchewan is the non-partisan organization which oversees general elections and by-elections for the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan. References External links * Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territori ...

Elections Yukon Elections Yukon is an independent agency that oversees elections and plebiscites in the Yukon including: * all general elections and by-elections for the 19 Members of the Yukon's Legislative Assembly, according to the Elections Act. * School boa ...

Electoral Service The Electoral Service of Chile (), better known by its acronym Servel, is an autonomous constitutional agency responsible for overseeing electoral processes in Chile. It administers national elections and referendums, supervises political party ...

* (excl. Hong Kong and Macau):

Election Committee The Election Committee is the electoral college in Hong Kong that selects the Chief Executive (CE) and, since 2021, elects 40 of the 90 members of the Legislative Council. Established by Annex I of the Basic Law of Hong Kong which states ...

s for Local People's Congress elections only *: National Electoral Council *: Supreme Electoral Court *: *: Central Elections Office *:

Independent National Electoral Commission Independent National Electoral Commission may refer to: *Independent National Electoral Commission (Burundi) *Independent National Electoral Commission (Democratic Republic of the Congo) *Independent National Electoral Commission (Guinea) The Inde ...

* ** National Electoral Council ** *: High Elections Committee *: National Election Board *:

*: Constitutional Council *:

Election Administration of Georgia The Election Administration of Georgia ( ka, საქართველოს საარჩევნო ადმინისტრაცია, tr; SSA) is a permanent independent non-partisan body responsible for organizing national elections ...

Federal Returning Officer In Germany, the Federal Returning Officer ( when the office is held by a woman, when by a man) is the Returning Officer responsible for overseeing elections on the federal level. The Federal Returning Officer and his or her deputy are appoi ...

Parliamentary Elections Office In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. T ...

Elections Commission An election is a formal group decision-making process whereby a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold Public administration, public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative d ...

Provisional Electoral Council The Provisional Electoral Council ( French: ''Conseil Électoral Provisoire'', , CEP; Haitian Creole: ''Konsèy Elektoral Pwovizwa'') is the electoral commission of Haiti. The CEP is responsible for presidential elections and parliamentary electi ...

Electoral Affairs Commission The Electoral Affairs Commission (EAC) is the body, established under the Electoral Affairs Commission Ordinance, that oversees electoral matters in Hong Kong. Its main functions include considering or reviewing the boundaries of Legislativ ...

*: National Electoral Commission *:

General Elections Commission The General Elections Commission (, abbreviated as KPU) is the body that organises elections in Indonesia. Its responsibilities include deciding which parties can contest elections, organising the voting and announcing the results and seats won ...

Guardian Council The Guardian Council (also called Council of Guardians or Constitutional Council, ) is an appointed and constitutionally mandated 12-member council that wields considerable power and influence in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The constitution ...

Independent High Electoral Commission The Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) is Iraq's electoral commission. The electoral commission is headed by a nine-member board. Seven of those members are voting and must be Iraqi citizens. IHEC is currently headed by Judge Jalil Adn ...

Central Elections Committee The Israeli Central Elections Committee (, ''Va'adet HaBehirot HaMerkazit'') is the body charged under the Knesset Elections Law of 1969 to carry out the elections for the upcoming Knesset. The committee is composed of Knesset members (and deleg ...

*: Central Directorate for Electoral Services *:

Electoral Commission of Jamaica The Electoral Commission of Jamaica (ECJ) is the independent statutory agency of the Government of Jamaica responsible for organising, conducting and supervising elections, by-elections and referendums. Objective of the Electoral Commission The ...

*: Central Election Management Council *: Independent Election Commission *:

* ** Interim Independent Electoral Commission (since 2008) **''

'' (defunct since 2008) *: *:

National Election Committee (Lao) The National Election Committee (NEC; , , ''KChB'') is an independent agency that supervises the national elections of Cambodia. Its official motto is "Independence, Neutrality, Truthfulness, Justice and Transparency". Members Criticism The o ...

*: National Elections Commission *:

High National Election Commission The High National Election Commission is a body created in Libya for organising elections following the 2011 Libyan Civil War, starting in 2012. Creation The High National Election Commission (HNEC) was involved in organising the 2012 Libyan p ...

*: Electoral Affairs Commission (Macau) *:

* **

National Electoral Institute The Instituto Nacional Electoral (INE) (Spanish for ''National Electoral Institute'') (formerly Federal Electoral Institute) (, IFE) is an autonomous, public agency responsible for organizing federal elections in Mexico, that is, those relat ...

Federal Electoral Tribunal The Electoral Tribunal of the Federal Judiciary ( or ) is a venue within the judiciary of Mexico specializing in electoral matters. Among its functions are resolving disputes arising within federal elections and certifying the validity of t ...

*: Union Electoral Commission *:

Electoral Council The Electoral Council (), until 1951 known as the central electoral committee (), is an election commission in the Netherlands. The Council is responsible for determining the results and the allocation of seats for elections for the House of Repr ...

*: Supreme Electoral Council *:

Central Election Committee (North Korea) Central Election Committee may refer to: * Central Election Committee of the Bharatiya Janata Party * Central Election Committee of the Indian National Congress *Central Elections Committee The Israeli Central Elections Committee (, ''Va'adet H ...

High Electoral Board High may refer to: Science and technology * Height * High (atmospheric), a high-pressure area * High (computability), a quality of a Turing degree, in computability theory * High (tectonics), in geology an area where relative tectonic uplift to ...

*: Norwegian Directorate of Elections *:

*: Central Elections Commission *:

Commission on Elections An election commission is a body charged with overseeing the implementation of electioneering process of any country. The formal names of election commissions vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and may be styled an electoral commission, a c ...

**Once a winner is proclaimed, only these tribunals can rule on election matters ***:

Presidential Electoral Tribunal The Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET) is an electoral tribunal that decides election protests involving the election of the President of the Philippines and Vice President of the Philippines. It is composed of justices of the Supreme Court of ...

(entirely composed of the

Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

) ***

Senate Electoral Tribunal The Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET) is an electoral tribunal that decides election protests in the Senate of the Philippines. It consists of 6 senators nominated by the Senate, and 3 justices of the Supreme Court of the Philippines, who are desig ...

***

House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal The House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal (HRET) is an electoral tribunal that decides election protests in the House of Representatives of the Philippines. It consists of six representatives and three justices of the Supreme Court of the Ph ...

***

Regional Trial Court The regional trial courts (RTC; ) are the highest trial courts in the Philippines. In criminal matters, they have original jurisdiction. History It was formerly called as the Court of First Instance since the Spanish colonial period. It cont ...

s for local officials *: National Electoral Commission *: *:

Puntland Electoral Commission The Puntland Electoral Commission (PEC) is a governmental body in the autonomous Puntland region in northeastern Somalia Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is the easternmost country in continental Africa. The country is l ...

*: Permanent Electoral Authority *:

Elections Department The Elections Department Singapore (ELD), known endonymously as the Elections Department, is a department under the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) of the Government of Singapore which are responsible for overseeing the procedure for elections ...

*: State Election Commission ''(Državna volilna komisija)'' *: National Electoral Commission *:

National Election Commission An election commission is a body charged with overseeing the implementation of electioneering process of any country. The formal names of election commissions vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and may be styled an electoral commission, a c ...

Junta Electoral Central The Junta Electoral Central (JEC) (') is the electoral commission for elections in Spain, monitoring and registering provincial elections, district elections, those of self-governing districts and general elections. It supervises the vote at poll ...

Election Commission of Sri Lanka The Election Commission of Sri Lanka is the constitutional authority responsible for administering and overseeing all elections in Sri Lanka, including the Presidential, Parliamentary, Provincial and Local Authority elections. Sri Lanka has ha ...

*: Election Authority *:

*: National Electoral Commission *:

*: Independent High Authority for Elections *:

Supreme Electoral Council of Turkey The Supreme Election Council (; YSK) is the highest electoral authority in Turkey. It was established by the Deputies Election Law no. 5545 on 16 February 1950. After the 1960 coup, the Supreme Election Council gained constitutional authority by ...

* **

Election Assistance Commission The Election Assistance Commission (EAC) is an independent agency of the United States government created by the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA). The Commission serves as a national clearinghouse and resource of information regarding elec ...

, serves as a national clearinghouse and resource regarding election administration, establishes best practices, and provides financial aid to state electoral systems. **

Federal Election Commission The Federal Election Commission (FEC) is an independent agency of the United States government that enforces U.S. campaign finance laws and oversees U.S. federal elections. Created in 1974 through amendments to the Federal Election Campaign ...

, regulates campaign finance legislation **

, a special commission for the 1876 presidential election **: Florida Election Commission **: Hawaii Elections Commission **:

Illinois State Board of Elections The State Board of Elections (SBE) is an independent agency of the U.S. state of Illinois. The SBE, as an acronym, refers both to the eight-member bipartisan board of directors and to the agency that it oversees. The members of the SBE, who are ...

**:

Maryland State Board of Elections The government of Maryland is conducted according to the Maryland Constitution. The United States is a federation; consequently, the government of Maryland, like the other 49 state governments, has exclusive authority over matters that lie entire ...

**:

New York State Board of Elections The New York State Board of Elections is a bipartisan agency of the New York state government within the New York State Executive Department responsible for enforcement and administration of election-related laws. It also regulates campaign fi ...

**: North Carolina State Board of Elections & Ethics Enforcement **:

Oklahoma State Election Board The Oklahoma State Election Board is the governing body regarding elections in the state of Oklahoma. The Board is responsible for maintaining uniformly in the application, operation and interpretation of State and Federal election laws. Addition ...

**: State Elections Commission **:

South Carolina State Election Commission South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both west and east. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþaz' ...

**:

Virginia State Board of Elections The Virginia State Board of Elections (SBE) was created in 1946 as a nonpolitical agency responsible for ensuring uniformity, fairness, accuracy and purity in all elections in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia. The SBE promote ...

**:

Wisconsin Elections Commission The Wisconsin Elections Commission is a bipartisan regulatory agency of the state of Wisconsin established to administer and enforce election laws in the state. The Wisconsin Elections Commission was established by a 2015 act of the Wisconsin Legi ...

Electoral Court An election is a formal group decision-making process whereby a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operated s ...

*: National Electoral Council *:

National Election Council (Vietnam) National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

Election commissions in Africa

As of 2021, 53 out of 55 African nations (save for

Eritrea Eritrea, officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa, with its capital and largest city being Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia in the Eritrea–Ethiopia border, south, Sudan in the west, and Dj ...

and

Somalia Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is the easternmost country in continental Africa. The country is located in the Horn of Africa and is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya to the southwest, th ...

, which do not hold elections) use or have used election commissions to organize and supervise their elections. First introduced in the Sudan in 1957, election commissions were created across the continent especially after many African nations introduced a system of

multi-party democracy In political science, a multi-party system is a political system where more than two meaningfully-distinct political parties regularly run for office and win elections. Multi-party systems tend to be more common in countries using proportional r ...

in the early 1990s.

References

External links

Association of Asian Election AuthoritiesAssociation of European Election Officials
{{DEFAULTSORT:Election commission Elections