Election Campaigns

The election campaign is the effort to gain as much voter support as possible in order to win an election in which an individual or a political unit (a party or a bloc) is[Page 537] elected to an office or a referendum is decided. More broadly, an election campaign is the part of the process that precedes voting (by weeks, months, and in some cases, years) and is distinguished by intense political competition in which political actors are focused on winning the election. The way an election campaign unfolds varies greatly depending on the country and its political system. When evaluating the fairness and freedom of an election, the campaign is not less important than the voting process itself.

Numerous methods and techniques are used by ...