Media Tip Sheet: “Elections continue to be a source of slowing democratic erosion in many places,” says GW Expert on global elections

2024 is quite the election year globally, with millions of voters across at least 64 countries (plus the European Union) heading to the polls. Mexico elected its first female president. The U.S. presidential election is shaping up to be a rematch of 2020. And, there is a noticeable shift in far-right parties gaining momentum in the European Parliament elections.

If you would like more context on this matter, please consider Michael K. Miller, an associate professor of political science and international affairs at the George Washington University. His research interests combine comparative politics, formal and quantitative methodology, and political economy, with a focus on democratization and autocratic elections. In particular, he is interested in how coups and competitive elections relate to democratization and the role that autocratic elections play in policy choice. His expertise centers on autocratic countries and weak democracies.

“There are a lot of ongoing themes regarding elections. There’s a clear anti-incumbent turn, including Western Europe and a lot of the classic democratic erosion cases like Poland, Turkey, and India. This has implications for the US, of course,” Miller says. “Elections continue to be a source of slowing democratic erosion in many places, even where civil liberties and the rule of law have been compromised. It shows how elections are very hard to control, even in autocracies. There are a lot more elections ahead.”

If you would like to speak with Prof. Miller, please contact GW Media Relations Specialists Cate Douglass at [email protected] and Shannon Mitchell at [email protected]. 

-GW-