From Open Secrets to Secret Ballots: The Adoption of Political Reforms Protecting Electoral Autonomy

How did European countries democratize their electoral practices? While the expansion of suffrage was momentous political change, it represented only the first step in the process of democratization. In this talk, Mares examines the adoption of subsequent electoral reforms that protected the electoral autonomy of voters and sought to minimize undue electoral influences. Empirically, she examines the adoption of reforms protecting electoral secrecy in Imperial Germany during the period between 1870 and 1912 and contrasts them to similar reforms enacted in France and Britain. By employing a micro-historical analysis, she analyzes the economic and political factors that affected the willingness of German politicians to support these electoral reforms