ABSTRACT
Through a wide array of actions that include harassment, intimidation, displacement, and physical attacks, political actors have employed violence to influence voter turnout and vote choice. By exploring patterns of electoral violence in Africa, this chapter evaluates the scope and character of Africa’s electoral violence; key conclusions from emerging datasets on incidences of electoral violence; various political strategies for the use of violence; the temporal nature of electoral violence; and the different efforts international and domestic actors undertake to prevent election violence. Further research is needed to refine the measurement of electoral violence, better predict its occurrence, and fully understand its consequences.
