The United States International Center for Electoral Support

07/22/2022

In the build-up to the World Summit on Electoral Democracy in September 2022, the Africa Regional Summit will hold on July 25-26, 2022 from 11:00 (GMT +1). This is part of continental events to share regional experiences to improve elections. Register at https://bit.ly/3P3LuUW

12/19/2020

Presided by the Executive Director, the United States International Center for Electoral Support (USICES) hosted a meeting of Chairpersons, Commissioners and Directors of African Election Management Bodies to listen, share and plan election assistance programming for 2021 and beyond. The meeting was attended by Election Commissions of Nigeria, Malawi and Cameroon. Officials shared their needs to inform USICES's assessment and programme development.

12/19/2020

The COVID pandemic has challenge election officials and agencies to redesign and develop new plan to adapt to current realities. It is within this background that the Executive Director at the United States International Center for Electoral Support presided over a 5 days virtual training on "Holding Elections during periods of Health Emergencies" for 11 African Election Management Bodies from December 7 to 11, 2020. The program was organized in partnership with the Electoral Institute of Mexico, INE. Participants represented EMBs from Cameroon, Malawi, Uganda, Nigeria, Liberia, Libya, Jordan, Tunisia, South Africa, Somalia, and Sudan.

12/19/2020

USICES Foreign Election Observers for the United States 2020 Genereal Elections. Observers were selected from 13 African countries including Kenya, Nigeria, Malawi, Cameroon, Liberia to learn the American election and voter experience during a health pandemic such as COVID.

03/02/2019

INTERNATIONAL SPECIALIZED TRAINING IN ICT AND CYBER SECURITY IN ELECTION ADMINISTRATION

As election administration embraces technology at all levels to enhance efficiency, efficacy, accuracy, and access among others, defending democratic elections and information system operations from cyber attacks will in large depend on proactive leadership and skilled professionals.

Without a robust cyber security system, voters databases can be attacked preventing legally registered voters from voting, voting machines and voter verification machines can also be hacked disrupting the voting process as well as attacks to result transmission systems to alter tallying and consolidation of votes. The Specialized Training provides participants with skills and insights in detecting, preventing, mitigating, and coordinating responses to cyber-attacks in election systems. Participants will gain security insights about various election systems as well as learn about the "Who", "How", and "When" about cyber attacks to election information systems.

To apply, go to: http://usices.org/courses/specialized-course-ict-cyber-security-election-administration/

03/02/2019

USICES alongside the Department of Democracy and Governance and the Department of African Studies of the prestigious Georgetown University in Washington DC co-hosted a discussion on "The Impact of Professional Election Administration on Democracy in Africa."

Panelists during the discussion included Mr.Chebukati Wafula, Chairperson of the Independent Election and Boundary Commission of Kenya, Justice Jane Ansah, Chairperson of the National Electoral Commission of Malawi, and Mrs. Lubega Aisha, Deputy Chairperson of the National Election Commission of Uganda. The discussion was moderated by Jeffrey Carlson, Director of Election Education and Training at Creative Associates International, an international nongovernmental organization based in Washington DC.

Participants most of whom were PhD and graduate students in African studies as well as Democracy and Governance including their faculty members listened as the panelists shared election insights in Kenya, Malawi and Uganda. The exchange gave the students an opportunity to ask questions and learn about election administration and the successes, challenges, and opportunities for improvement that exist in Africa.

03/02/2019

USICES invited Chairpersons and Commissioners of election management bodies, Senators, MPs and senior election officials from over 11 countries to observe the conduct of the United States Mid term elections of November 6, 2018.

Following a briefing session on November 5, 2018, the 25 international observers visited 13 polling centers in Washington DC and Maryland and observed first hand the opening of the polls, the voter check-in and voting process as well as the closing of the polls. USICES also organized a debriefing session allowing observers to share their observations, lessen learnt as well as avenues for improvement. The session provided an opportunity to review the lessens for an effective and contextual application in the observer's host country.

03/02/2019

International Participants during the USICES specialized training on Data Analysis and Management in Election Administration held in Washington DC. 38 participants representing over 10 countries mostly from Africa took part in the training facilitated by election data experts in the U.S. Tammy Patrick, adjunct professor at the University of Minnesota Center for Election Excellence, Prof. Charles Stewart, Director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Election Data and Science Lab, Henry Atem, Executive Director at USICES, Whitney Quesenbery, Director at the Center for Civic Design and Tim Harper, Policy Analyst, democracy and election projects at the Bipartisan Policy Center among others.

The training provided participants with knowledge and skills to understand the data concept in election administration, how to collect, analyse, use, and leverage data for policy and legislative reform across the election cycle. Participants had the opportunity to learn from U.S. election officials and got hands on experience on the use of data in U.S. elections. Various election data analytical tools were shared and used during the training to allow participants learn how to use them in their respective national context, especially on electoral logistics, budgeting, reducing long lines and voter wait times in polling locations, for policy and election reform.

10/30/2018

Angela Markel, who has been been the German chancellor since the 2000s has planned to step down in 2021. She decided to make her goodbye official over the weekend.

The decision by Germany's veteran chancellor comes after a series of regional election setbacks.

10/30/2018

Salome Zurabishvill won 40 percent of the vote and Grigol Vashadze won close to 38 percent of the vote. Davit Bakradze, their closest challenger, said that he would support Vashadze during the event of a runoff.
https://www.verifiedvoting.org/presidential-election-heading-to-runoffs-initial-results-suggest-rfe-rl/

10/26/2018

Sahle-Work, 69, a diplomat from Ethiopia was appointed as the President by the Parliament in Ethiopia becoming their first women President. It comes from Abiy, 41, one of Africa's youngest leader, who did a cabinet shuffle as of late.

Ethiopia's parliament has elected the country's first female president in an historic move, the chief of staff Fitsum Arega announced Thursday.