OHCHR and elections and human rights

About elections and human rights

The right to take part in the conduct of public affairs, including the right to vote and to stand for election, is at the core of democratic governments based on the will of the people. Genuine elections are a necessary and fundamental component of an environment that protects and promotes human rights.

The right to vote and be elected in genuine, periodic elections is intrinsically linked to a number of other human rights, the enjoyment of which is crucial to a meaningful electoral process. These prerequisite rights include:

• the right to freedom from discrimination;
• the right to freedom of opinion and expression;
• the right to freedom of association and of peaceful assembly; and
• the right to freedom of movement.

Our work on elections and human rights

We work to ensure that elections meet international human rights standards and that they are held in an environment in which everyone can exercise their fundamental rights. We do this using a range of methods from its headquarters and field locations, including advocacy, provision of technical assistance, monitoring of human rights in the electoral context and public or confidential reporting.

We also support other mechanisms in their research and reporting, for example the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression’s report on freedom of expression in electoral processes (A/HRC/26/30) and the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association’s report on freedom of assembly and association in the context of elections (A/68/299).