Legitimacy refers to the perceived fairness of a dispute resolution process. For example, fair elections or litigation based on socially-accepted: laws are generally considered legitimate, as are the decisions that result from such processes. On the other hand, elections where voters are harassed or forced to vote a particular way are usually considered illegitimate, as are court decisions handed down by biased courts.: Legitimacy of decision-making procedures is important, because illegitimate procedures almost always escalate conflicts, making their ultimate: resolution more difficult.