Encyclopedias, Handbooks, Statistics
International Encyclopedia of Elections by Print title.
Articles on a wide variety of electoral concepts, the encyclopedia also includes tables that detail electoral systems for over 170 countries
Table 1: Basic Features of Parliamentary Elections Table 2: Basic Features of Presidential Elections.
- ACE Electoral Knowledge NetworkThe website contains in-depth articles, global statistics and data, an Encyclopaedia of Elections, information on electoral assistance, observation and professional development, region- and country-specific resources.
- CSES - Comparative Study of Electoral SystemsCSES is..."a collaborative program of research among election study teams from around the world. Participating countries include a common module of survey questions in their post-election studies." Includes voting, demographic, district and macro variables. The studies are then merged into a single, free, public dataset for use in comparative study and cross-level analysis."Registration is required for access to the datasets.
- IFES -- International Foundation for Electoral SytemsSee: Tools and Resources
About the IFES: "The International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) supports citizens’ right to participate in free and fair elections. Our independent expertise strengthens electoral systems and builds local capacity to deliver sustainable solutions." - IPU - Parline: Recent ElectionsEvery parliamentary election in the world is reported in PARLINE. All data is regularly cross-checked with parliaments.
Election reports include the background to the election and of course the election results. The results contain statistics on the distribution of votes and seats among political parties, as well as a breakdown of seats by sex and, when available, by the age and profession of members of parliament. A brief summary of the electoral system is also available for each parliamentary chamber. - Manifesto Project (Party policy positions)"...Parties’ policy positions derived from a content analysis of parties’ electoral manifestos. It covers over 1000 parties from 1945 until today in over 50 countries on five continents."
Data Handbooks
From the Elections Worldwide, series, each volume provides excellent historical coverage, but note the dates published for each volume.
Elections in Europe: A data handbookPublication Date: 2010-05-31A comparative introduction on elections and electoral systems is followed by chapters on each European state. Applying systematic criteria and uniform concepts, each chapter explains the historical, political, and legal context in which elections take place. The chapters also provide exhaustive statistics on all national elections and referendums conducted in the respective countries.
Elections in Africa by Publication Date: 1999-09-23Print title.
African elections from independence to 1999 (the date the volume was published).
Each country chapter examines the history of the institutional and electoral arrangements, the evolution of suffrage and current electoral provisions. Precise and exhaustive data on national elections and referendums are presented comparatively. The book provides a definitive and comprehensive set of data on elections and electoral systems in order to facilitate comparative research. Data is presented in a systematic manner allowing for both historical and cross-national comparisons.
Elections in Asia and the Pacific: A data handbookPublication Date: 2002-02-07Print title.
"...compendium of electoral data for all the 62 states in Asia, Australia and Oceania from their independence to 2001. Includes chapters on each state of the region...the contributions examine the evolution of institutional and electoral arrangements, and provide systematic surveys of the up-to-date electoral provisions and their historical development. Exhaustive statistics on national elections and referendums are given in each chapter.
Elections in the Americas by Publication Date: 2005-07-07Print title.
"... compendium of electoral data for all 35 countries in the Americas since the introduction of universal male suffrage. Includes chapters on each country....the contributions examine the evolution of constitutional and electoral arrangements and provide systematic surveys of the up-to-date electoral provisions and electoral rules. These widely differing rules exert considerable influence on party systems and political processes. Exhaustive statistics on all national elections and referendums are given in each chapter.
Routledge Handbook of European Elections by Publication Date: 2015Print title.
"... presents original contributions from leading experts from ... the European Union.
Each case study adheres to a common template that makes it easy to compare data, methodology and outcomes.
Every country chapter includes: a brief geopolitical profile and historical background of the Member State; a glance at the national political landscape; a short account of the main political parties, including their attitude toward the European Union; a section on public opinion and European integration; a summary of electoral systems; an overview of all EP and national elections; an in-depth analysis of the 2009 EP electoral race; an overall theoretical interpretation of European elections. A comparative chapter closes the Handbook followed by an Epilogue focusing on the 2014 EP contest with a detailed analysis of the newly elected European Assembly in terms of political group and gender compostion.
Datasets
- Constituency-Level Elections Archive (CLEA)"The Constituency-Level Elections Archive (CLEA) is a repository of detailed election results at the constituency level for lower chamber and upper chamber legislative elections from around the world." Data is available in multiple formats.