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Election Observers Head to the Dominican Republic
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES) is sending a delegation of 19 election experts from nine different countries to the Dominican Republic to observe the May 16 Presidential elections. The observers will be in the Dominican Republic from May 11 through 18, examining various aspects of the electoral process, particularly the new voter identification system and the accessibility of the process to all Dominicans, including those with disabilities.
Publication
Report/Paper
Promoting the Inclusion of People with Disabilities in Civil Registration and Municipal Elections in Kosovo
There is a significant presence in Kosovo of international forces and agencies, working in coordination to rebuild the physical infrastructure, to strengthen civil society, and to create sustainable social, political, educational, and economic institutions. Two critically important parts of this endeavor are (a) the civil and voter registration of residents of Kosovo and (b) the convening of municipal elections. These activities, vital to a healthy citizenry, are being designed and carried out under the authority of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the United Nations Civil Administration.
August 31, 2000
Publication
Report/Paper
Election Observation by People with Disabilities
Against a backdrop of remarkably public and visible elections, 77 Ghanaians with disabilities served their fellow citizens as fully trained election observers during the December 2000 Presidential and Parliamentary elections.
November 30, 2000
News & Updates
Press Release
Citizens With Disabilities Observe Ghana's National Elections
Seventy-seven Ghanaian citizens with disabilities were trained and recruited as fully credentialed election observers during the nation's Presidential and Parliamentary elections of December 7, 2000. This first-of-its-kind program is a part of a larger project of the International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES) to promote the electoral enfranchisement of people with disabilities worldwide. The governments of Sweden and Finland provided funds for this program.
Publication
Report/Paper
Establishing a Partnership Between Disability Organizations and the Ghana Electoral Commission
On Thursday, March 8, 2001, two non-governmental organizations from Ghana -- Action on Disability and Development and the Federation of Disability Associations (FODA) -- convened a seminar to discuss the participation of citizens with disabilities in the December 2000 Presidential and Parliamentary Elections in Ghana.
April 30, 2001
Publication
Report/Paper
Electoral Participation of Citizens with Disabilities in Bangladesh
The International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES) has begun an effort in Bangladesh to promote greater participation by citizens with disabilities in national elections to be held in the Fall of 2001.
May 31, 2001
Publication
Report/Paper
An Action Plan For Electoral Participation of People with Disabilites: Sierra Leone Case Study
The International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES) was invited by the National Electoral Commission (NEC) of Sierra Leone to assist in developing a plan to promote the electoral enfranchisement of citizens with disabilities. IFES is a recognized provider of technical assistance in elections and has a particular expertise in the area of empowering citizens with disabilities. IFES has performed work in Sierra Leone since 1999 and is currently providing direct assistance to the NEC in anticipation of presidential and parliamentary elections in December 2001.
June 30, 2001
Publication
Report/Paper
Electoral Participation by People with Disabilities: Peru Case Study
"To be able to participate as an electoral observer in the electoral process of a country is an interesting experience, and as a person with a disability it represents a greater challenge. Most people think that we cannot play an important role in the electoral process; the will to want to do it enhances the commitment. In this experience, I began early in the morning by receiving the observation forms and headed to the pre-selected polling sites where I identified myself as a member of Transparencia. I received gestures of support and perceived doubts. Some poll-workers arrived to their posts very annoyed by the responsibilities that were called on to them to carry out, but when noticing my presence some commented: if you are here and in a wheelchair, what am I complaining about? It is the first time in Peru's elections that we have the opportunity to participate as observers." Maria Nelly Novoa Bellota.
June 30, 2001
News & Updates
Press Release
Intellectually Disabled Individuals Observe Nicaraguan National Elections
Adults with intellectual disabilities served as election observers in Nicaragua's recent national elections, possibly for the first time globally. Under a project directed by IFES and funded by the Swedish government, the Nicaraguan Association for Community Integration (ASNIC) provided training for over 100 observers with disabilities, 20 of whom were individuals with intellectual disabilities. Managuan special education professor Horacio Ortega designed a three-part training program for these 20 observers. The training included the use of a mock voting table to demonstrate the different roles and responsibilities of poll workers, party agents, observers, and voters.
News & Updates
Press Release
Finnish Grant Awarded to IFES' Disability Project
IFES has been awarded a grant from the Finland Ministry for Foreign Affairs to design and pilot test a ballot in Ghana that will enable blind voters to vote secretly and independently. As in most developing nations, Ghanaian voters who are blind rely on assistants to help them vote. The ballot to be pilot tested will not use Braille, but will rely on tactile cues, as less than once percent of blind adults in Ghana are literate. The ballot will be tested in elections in June or July of 2002, and will be designed in collaboration with the Ghana Electoral Commission, the Ghana Federation of the Disability Associations, and Action on Disability and Development of Ghana.