ElectionGuide is the most comprehensive and timely source of election information available online. It covers national elections around the world, including snap elections and referenda, providing verified information on:
The structure of political institutions and electoral systems
Political parties and candidates
Voter registration deadlines and details
Referendum provisions
Voter turnout, and
Election results
ElectionGuide was created in 1998 and has since been maintained by the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), an international nonprofit dedicated to building resilient democracies that deliver for all. In 2019 we expanded ElectionGuide, adding additional data points, more frequent data updates, and higher quality verification measures. ElectionGuide now features a modern API to provide developers and researchers access to up to the minute information.
Initial support from USAID and further support from Meta have made ElectionGuide possible.
Click here to view and download the ElectionGuide Codebook v2.
ElectionGuide is maintained by IFES’ Center for Applied Research and Learning. The team tracks elections globally, gathers data on each election, monitors and analyzes election results, and ensures the consistency and accuracy of ElectionGuide in the period before and after an election. Our methodology relies on well-established data collection standards, objective analysis, and strict verification procedures.
Elections are identified up to one year in advance. Complete profiles of elections are typically available two weeks before an election is held. Election results and turnout information are available as early as two weeks after an election has been confirmed. The ElectionGuide team provides daily updates to the site as new information on upcoming and recent elections is announced.
IFES takes a multifaceted approach to ensure the accuracy of ElectionGuide data. Wherever possible, each election profile is reviewed and verified by at least one external authority in addition to our experts prior to publication. These external consultations may include:
Country election authorities
Other official government sources, including US-based embassies
Civil society organizations (CSOs)
Inter-governmental organizations (e.g. OSCE, UN)
Once an election profile is compiled by our team and verified, the profile is made public. As the anticipated election date nears, IFES attempts to substitute all secondary sources with additional primary ones and modifies estimates with official dates; eventually, the election authority is the source of record. Given this ongoing process, ElectionGuide election profiles should be treated as living records.
To verify election results after an election has been held, ElectionGuide uses data only from official sources (that is, a country election authority, embassy, or other government-affiliated source). In rare cases where information cannot be directly obtained, official results quoted in reputable media sources will be used, when they can be cross verified.
ElectionGuide is provided as a public good. We aim to provide accurate, reliable information in multiple formats to meet your needs.
All of the datapoints are defined and coding strategies further explained in our codebook, including how each variable can be viewed (web, API, or both). The codebook can be accessed here: ElectionGuide Codebook. The current version of the codebook, version 2, was published in September 2023. Previously, version 1 was published in July 2022.
Information about upcoming and past elections is openly available on this website organized by election and by country.
Registered users can access the expanded dataset for each election by logging in to the site. From either the list of upcoming or recent elections or from a specific election page, users can navigate to the full dataset view by clicking on the green “portal” button. If the full dataset has not yet been published, there will be no button for that particular election. Users can also download datasets as XLSX files, including individual election datasets and basic datapoints for all elections held since 2018. For more information please see the codebook.
ElectionGuide datasets are also available through our API, in JSON format. Please note that the API provides a subset of the complete dataset shown for individual elections within the User Portal. For a full list of variables by access option, please see the Extended Election Dataset Variable List in the codebook.
To register for an account or to request an API token, please fill out the Data Access Request Form. The ElectionGuide team will then share secure login information.
ElectionGuide data may be used freely for personal and non-commercial purposes such as research, publication, teaching, etc, provided appropriate attribution is made to IFES ElectionGuide. Any changes to the data must be clearly indicated; IFES is not responsible for any changes made to the data by non-IFES-affiliated actors.
For all other commercial purposes, please contact electionguide@ifes.org.
Recommended citation: International Foundation for Electoral Systems. (YEAR). ElectionGuide. https://www.electionguide.org/
If you have any questions or comments about the site or its contents, please contact ElectionGuide@ifes.org.