According to democracy indices, elections fared somewhat better than Poland’s other democratic institutions during the period in question (2018–2023). Elections in Poland retained competitiveness and engagement, but the quality of public debate suffered and confidence in election administration and dispute resolution was undermined. The other powerful contributor to resilience of the electoral process was civil society mobilization.

This case study examines protection of elections at a time of democratic backsliding in Poland. It looks into risk prevention, resilience and crisis recovery with respect to Polish electoral reforms and explores how they have affected electoral integrity in the country.