Methodology
The OSCE's participating States recognize that an election is not a one-day event but a process that commences several months before election day.
ODIHR's election monitoring methodology therefore takes account of the situation before, during, and after an election. Instead of just concentrating on election day events witnessed in polling stations, including violations such as ballot-box stuffing or voter intimidation, missions consider the pre-election environment, looking out for violations such as administrative constraints and disregard for fundamental civil and political rights.
A typical election observation mission comprises around 12 core team members, as well as several dozen long-term observers and several hundred short-term observers.
ODIHR's Election Observation Handbook provides the guidelines that observers use to get an in-depth insight into all aspects of the electoral process, beginning with a review of the legal framework, and including the performance of the election administration; the conduct of the campaign; the media environment and equitable media access; the complaints and appeals process; voting, counting, and tabulation; and the announcement of results.
In recent years, ODIHR's methodology has been expanded to take more detailed account of certain issues, including the participation of women and the inclusion of national minorities in the electoral process. In addition, guidelines have been developed to improve certain aspects of media monitoring in the context of the election campaign.
Follow-up work
Election observation is not an end in itself. Its purpose is not to criticize countries for failing to hold fully democratic elections or to praise others that live up to their commitments. Election observation has a much more practical purpose: to help all OSCE states improve their electoral processes to the benefit of their citizenry.
With this in mind, ODIHR attempts to maintain a post-election dialogue with countries in which it has observed elections in order to follow up on its recommendations and facilitate their implementation. One area of follow-up that ODIHR is particularly active in is the review of election legislation for improving the legal framework for the conduct of elections.