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IFES Hosts Global Gathering for United States Elections

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The International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) is hosting over 500 participants in a week-long event from November 6 to November 10 that includes IFES’ 2016 U.S. Election Program (USEP) and the Global Elections Organization Conference (GEO-7). The 2016 USEP and GEO-7 will be the largest international gathering of election professionals of the year with close to 90 countries represented, from Albania to Zimbabwe.

“We are delighted to showcase the American electoral system for an international audience of election practitioners and to facilitate an exchange on current issues on democracy and elections,” said William R. Sweeney, Jr., IFES President and CEO.

IFES conducts biennial programs on U.S. elections to provide international election practitioners, elected officials, and civic leaders an opportunity to witness the U.S. elections and learn more about the American electoral process. On Election Day, participants will be deployed to polling locations in Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia to see the election process first-hand.

On election night, IFES will honor Chafik Sarsar, president of Tunisia’s Independent High Authority for Elections, with the 2016 Joe C. Baxter Award. The annual Baxter Award recognizes the contributions of election professionals whose skills, dedication and sacrifices to the field of election administration epitomize the mission of IFES.

GEO-7 brings bring together electoral practitioners and experts to exchange knowledge and share experiences and provides a forum for networking and debate on transparency and accountability in elections. Thomas Carothers, Senior Vice President for Studies at the Carnegie Endowment for Peace, will provide the keynote address entitled “Democracy's Uncertain State,” which examines the state of global democracy.

IFES is hosting the GEO-7 in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Electoral Assistance Division, the National Electoral Institute of Mexico, International IDEA, the Association of European Election Officials, and the Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa.

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As the global leader in democracy promotion, IFES advances good governance and democratic rights by providing technical assistance to election officials; empowering the underrepresented to participate in the political process; and applying field-based research to improve the electoral cycle. Since 1987, IFES has worked in over 145 countries, from developing democracies, to mature democracies. For more information, visit www.IFES.org.

CONTACT:

Daniela Colaiacovo, dcolaiacovo@ifes.org, +1 (202) 350-6802