In most countries, the legal framework for elections has evolved into a complex combination of legal statutes, regulations, judicial rulings and actual practice. There can be gaps, conflicts and inconsistencies between the different pieces of the legal framework that forms the electoral process. In Argentina, for example, the Argentinean chapter of Transparency International found that there were more than 90 different pieces of legislation on political party financing. For integrity purposes, it is important to review the entire legal picture in order to understand the legal framework and to determine whether corrective action is needed, and, if so, what type of action should be taken. The legal framework can protect election integrity in several ways.
Power is given to specific bodies for specific functions.
But the amount of power can be limited by separating it among different institutions and subjecting it to a series of checks and balances. For example, an election management body is empowered to administer the elections but another body may be authorized to set the boundaries of the electoral districts or to administer public funding for political parties. Checks can be provided through power delegated to an oversight agency or office, such as an Inspector General, to monitor the administration of the elections, identify problems and make recommendations for corrective actions. Enforcement of the laws is usually handled by the judicial system, the police, the courts and the prisons. In the newer democracies, the rules for free and fair elections are still evolving.