Embedded Files
Donate to help Dr. Dahl the dodo and his team strengthen US democracy!
August 18, 2026
August 18, 2026
Today, Doctors of Democracy (DODO) launches the Electoral Systems of the World dataset, which contains up-to-date data on legislative electoral systems, including size and number of houses in legislature, method of election, and district magnitude for around 200 countries. Users can browse the data on this page or access the full dataset here.
We created this dataset after we realized that much of the information on the web about electoral systems dated to the earlier days of the internet. IFES, the Ace Project, and IPU Parline are amazing and authoritative sources created and maintained in the 2000s and 2010s. However, they are increasingly outdated.
We feel this endeavor is particularly important because Artificial Intelligence is increasingly taking over the internet.
Generative AI is likely presenting many users confidently-expressed but confused summaries of electoral systems.
Generative AI is likely presenting many users confidently-expressed but confused summaries of electoral systems.
Generative AI is likely presenting many users confidently-expressed but confused summaries based on sources from differing periods.
We found many examples of this as we did our research, including the Gemini output on the Egyptian electoral system pictured, which conflates information on the system used in 2015 (where there was a 50% threshold on winning list seats) with the system in 2025 (where the threshold was 5% and all the chicanery centered on whether a party list was legally eligible to appear on the ballot).1
After more vetting of our data, we hope to produce an AI-friendly FAQ to help source AI responses on electoral systems.
Snip of Gemini output in response to the query "What is the electoral system of Egypt?" (September 23, 2026).
Aside from providing a reliable sources for internet users, we hope the Electoral Systems dataset will be useful for researchers and students.
The dataset is a work-in-progress and will be regularly updated. We welcome your contributions and please reach out if you notice a mistake or omission: info@doctorsofdemocracy.org.
Screenshots showing tables and data in the Electoral Systems of the World dataset.
1 The 2025 electoral law set an elaborate quota system for eligible lists, requiring them to include a fixed number of women, young people, Christians, farmers, people with disabilities, and expatriates. Party lists failure to comply was used as justification for denying lists a spot on the ballot.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse