Since the 2008 parliamentary election, which experienced numerous problems and sparked violence in the capital, Mongolia saw for the first time enough political will to reform the electoral system. A number of reforms were deliberated in 2010 and final amendments passed by Parliament, in December 2011 only six months before the parliamentary elections in June 2012. These changes included a mixed parallel electoral system with 48 seats elected in each constituency by a first-past-the-post system and 28 elected on a closed proportional representation list on one ballot; a new voter’s list based on the census and mandated by the General Authority for State Registration (GASR) with new ID cards; automated counting through vote counting machines; NGOs being accredited to observe both polling and counting; and out-of-country voting.

Considering the number of new features introduced and the shortage of implementation time, the parliamentary elections in June 2012 were remarkably smooth and peaceful. Other improvements included: increased inclusivity and the number of women and independent candidates elected, the voter register was more accurate, and the results were faster and more widely accepted. In general, voters did not seem fazed by the new system, including an updated ballot and use of automated machines, though the number of invalid votes was around 3.6%.