Electoral Engineering and Non-Democratic Voting Practices: A Theoretical Review

Abstract Electoral engineering refers to a range of tactics employed by political actors to manipulate election outcomes, undermining the principles of democratic governance. By distorting voter behavior through various means, such as ethnic voting, vote buying, religious influences, and partisan loyalty, electoral engineering poses significant challenges to the legitimacy of elections. This paper offers a comprehensive theoretical review of electoral engineering and its impact on democratic processes. The study identifies and analyzes four main types of non-democratic voting practices and provides a framework for understanding their effects on democracy. Keywords: Electoral engineering, Politics