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A free and fair election is defined by political scientist Robert Dahl as an election in which "coercion is comparatively uncommon". A free and fair election involves political freedoms and fair processes leading up to the vote, a fair count of eligible voters who cast a ballot , and acceptance of election results by all parties. An election may partially meet international standards for free and fair elections, or may meet some standards but not others.
A study published in 2016 of elections in 169 countries over the period 1975 to 2011 estimated that only about half of elections were free and fair. The study evaluated ten dimensions of the conduct of elections:
The 2016 study found that election quality decreased over time, primarily due to unfair election processes prior to election day. This was attributable to more non-democratic regimes holding elections over time; these elections sought to legitimize the regime's rule without incurring the risk of the regime actually losing power. Increased election observation over the period may have also led to more flawed elections being tallied.
The presence of election monitors and constraints on executive power increases the probability of a free and fair election by 31 percentage points. The presence of election monitors, however, may be an endogenous variable because democracies are more likely to invite election observers than non-democratic regimes.