American Journal of Political Science· 2026Q1
Can citizen election observation increase public confidence in US elections?
- 2citations
- Q1SCImago
- 2026year
Short summary
Information about nonpartisan citizen election observers increased US public confidence in electoral results and processes by 10-15% in survey experiments with nearly 10,000 respondents.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Key points
- Survey experiments with ~10,000 US respondents assessed the impact of nonpartisan citizen election observation on public confidence.
- Information about positive observer assessments increased confidence in electoral results and processes.
- Participants exposed to observer information were more likely to accept the officially announced winner.
- Framing of observers as nonpartisan was key; alternative framings were inconsequential.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Abstract Nonpartisan citizen election observation plays an important role in promoting the credibility of electoral processes around the world. This article assesses whether nonpartisan observation can shape attitudes among the US public, randomizing information about nonpartisan domestic observers in a series of survey experiments fielded to nearly 10,000 respondents. These included both hypothetical vignettes and information about a real‐world nonpartisan domestic observation mission undertaken by The Carter Center during the 2022 midterm elections in Fulton County, Georgia. The results show that information about positive assessments by nonpartisan observers of the hypothetical and Fulton County elections increased respondents' confidence in electoral results and processes, and also made respondents more likely to identify the officially announced winner over the candidate they favored as the candidate who won. Alternative ways of framing observers were largely inconsequential.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. American Journal of Political Science, 2026 · DOI ↗
Continue with a free account
Ask the paper: 3 free questions a day about this paper; save it, get its citation, new summaries every day for your field. Takeaways are Premium.
Continue free on the webSign in with Google or Apple; no card needed. You come back to this paper.
On your phone:
Field: Political Science and International Relations
Political Science and International RelationsSocial Sciences