Politicians, Electoral Integrity, and Electoral Management Bodies: A Cross‐National Study on Satisfaction With Democracy

Abstract

Competitive elections that are free and fair are the bedrock of stable representative democracies. In this critical moment, in which there is an increase of democratic decline across states, it is imperative to (re‐)examine fundamental democratic processes, like elections. In addition to citizens, politicians are key actors in the electoral process. Politicians can influence the views of citizens, make changes within political institutions, and contribute to democratic breakdown or backsliding. Therefore, understanding their views about the way democracy works is crucial. While there has been a recent increase in the scholarship on politicians' perceptions and behaviours, it has not yet considered whether aspects of the electoral process might affect politicians' democratic satisfaction. Furthermore, while the literature on citizens' democratic satisfaction is well‐established, our understanding of politicians' satisfaction with democracy (SWD) is not. This article begins to address these gaps in the scholarship on SWD and politicians by examining whether electoral integrity and the characteristics of electoral management bodies influence politicians' levels of SWD. By analyzing cross‐national data from The Comparative Candidates Survey covering 49 elections, in 21 countries, from 2005 to 2021, this article highlights three key findings: first, while electoral integrity affects levels of politicians' SWD, it matters more for politicians who lost the election. Second, electoral management bodies' independence does not affect politicians' levels of SWD. Third, while electoral management bodies' capacity influences politicians' levels of democratic satisfaction, the strength of the effect differs for politicians on the ideological right and left. The implications of these findings are explained in the article.