A nation must think before it acts.
Voters’ faith in elections is a central tenant of any democracy. In order to increase electoral credibility, states, intergovernmental organizations, and NGOs arrange for teams of observers to monitor and report on countries’ elections. Despite monitoring’s popularity, the impact of election observers on local perceptions of electoral credibility is an under-researched topic. Although there is some research on how the presence of election observers impacts voter turnout, protest, and violence, researchers have not paid attention to how election observers shape individual perceptions and attitudes. This study looks at how the identity and assessments of election observers influence local attitudes towards the electoral process. The research was conducted in Tunisia after the country conducted elections in 2014 as it took steps to transition to democracy. Research on determinants of electoral credibility is especially important for nascent democracies like Tunisia, where the credibility of the electoral process is likely to have a long-term impact on legitimacy of the government and other institutions.