The electoral observation. Notes for conceptual discussion in Latin America

Despite the growing interest in electoral observation in Latin America, the region of greatest development activity in recent years (Cuellar and Thompson 2008; Pinilla 2008), we still lack of a consistent conceptual discussion about what we mean when we say "electoral observation". Further on, in the same direction, it is well known that the countries of the region call that activity in many different ways, so this has a great impact on the way we carry research on the subject. This paper reviews specific cases of observations and discusses the most used conceptualizations on electoral observation in Latin America (Boneo, Carrillo and Valverde 2007; Thompson 2008; Munoz-Pogossian 2013). Finally, it presents a definition that includes each of its basic elements and, at the same time, avoids "concept stretching" to allow deeper knowledge on the subject (Sartori 1984).