4 Ways USAID Promoted Free and Fair Elections Around the World

Read about election programs in Zambia, Mali, Peru, and Moldova

Voting in a school in Bamako during the mayoral elections in 2016. / USAID/Mali

Elections are pivotal to a country’s stability, quality of governance, and ability to respond to its citizens’ priorities. However, in the past several years, the environment for elections around the world has changed significantly.

Authoritarians are finding new and more sophisticated ways to tilt the electoral playing field and tighten their grip on power.

A wide variety of actors — including foreign actors — are using disinformation to sow divisions and undermine elections. Women and marginalized populations, including ethnic and religious minorities, persons with disabilities, and LGBTQI+ individuals, are facing intensified efforts to limit their electoral participation.

While the challenges grow more complex, USAID continues to adapt its global efforts to promote genuine, democratic elections that reflect the will of the people. Below are four examples of how USAID supported elections in 2021.

Officers from the Electoral Commission of Zambia counted ballot papers at a polling station in Lusaka on Aug. 13, 2021, following presidential and legislative elections seen as a test of the country’s democratic credentials after a tense campaign dominated by economic woes and a debt crisis. / Patrick Meinhardt, AFP

Promoting Commitments to Democratic Reforms

In August 2021, a historic number of Zambians elected a new administration committed to democratic reforms. This came after a decade of democratic backsliding under an increasingly repressive government that jailed activists and political leaders, and limited citizens’ fundamental rights such as freedoms of expression and peaceful assembly. USAID supported the electoral institutions and civil society groups, including their long-term domestic observation efforts, and promoted peace and security around the elections.

Using its new Electoral Assessment Framework, USAID recently conducted an electoral assessment in Zambia to identify how the Agency and international community can support the needs of democratic institutions and electoral stakeholders to contribute to free and fair elections and the consolidation of democracy in the coming years. Results of this analysis are expected in the coming weeks.

Malian voters wearing face masks look at the voters roll during the parliamentary elections in Bamako on March 29, 2020. / Michele Cattani, AFP

Supporting a Transparent, Inclusive, and Credible Election

After parliamentary elections in 2020, Mali experienced months of mass protests followed by a military coup, highlighting weaknesses in electoral management and dispute resolution. Mali’s transition government initiated electoral reforms to create an independent management body, improve oversight of campaign finance, and increase transparency in election results and dispute resolution.

To support this process, USAID conducted an assessment of risks and vulnerabilities in the electoral process that needed to be addressed for elections to be transparent, inclusive, and credible.

The assessment led to a project where USAID contributed to the drafting of Mali’s new electoral law and supported local civil society organizations to advocate for the draft bill with Mali’s interim parliament. The bill was signed into law on June 24, 2022, and included many USAID supported provisions, including increased voting access for persons with disabilities and a 30% percent gender quota for most elections.

The new electoral law created an Independent Authority for Election Management (AIGE) with broad representation that is legally mandated to set election dates, centralize vote tallying, and announce preliminary results. The AIGE is also charged with promoting dialogue among election stakeholders and referring electoral law violators to the judiciary for prosecution. In the coming months, USAID will continue supporting the AIGE to help stakeholders understand new provisions in the electoral law, build transparency and trust in electoral processes, and peacefully manage elections for a return to constitutional democracy.

With USAID support, the National Office of Electoral Processes, a national election management body in Lima, Peru, promoted intergenerational relationship building and collaboration during the presidential and parliamentary election in April 2021. / National Office of Electoral Processes

Providing Civic and Voter Education

In 2021, USAID’s local partners reached more than 56 million individuals with civic and voter education globally. This included Peru, where Peruvians’ renewed desire for effective governance and citizen engagement created an opportunity for USAID to provide critical support during the national electoral cycle.

USAID’s local civil society partners delivered civic and voter education targeting youth and Afro-descendants. USAID also worked with political parties and candidates on strategic communications to improve their ability to connect with different demographics through social media. Finally, USAID’s technical support to Peru’s National Office of Electoral Processes and Peru’s National Elections Jury helped them administer the elections amid public health restrictions related to COVID-19.

USAID will provide similar support ahead of the October 2022 regional and municipal elections.

A woman casts her ballot into a ballot box during parliamentary elections in the village of Gura Bicului, some 70 kilometers east of Chisinau, on July 11, 2021. Voters headed to the polls to elect a new parliament after Moldova’s president dissolved the previous assembly to shore up her position against pro-Russia forces. / Sergei Gapon, AFP

Bolstering a Fragile Democracy in a Vulnerable Region

Following Maia Sandu’s election as Moldova’s first female president in November 2020, Moldovan voters returned to the polls in July 2021 for pivotal snap parliamentary elections.

USAID supported the Central Election Commission to administer elections transparently, incorporate public health measures in response to COVID-19, and harden its cybersecurity defenses. The Agency helped strengthen political parties across the spectrum to more effectively reflect and respond to voter concerns in their platforms.

USAID also supported domestic election observers to systematically monitor the pre-election, election day, and post-election periods, which — amid an environment full of disinformation — provided Moldovan citizens with an independent, nonpartisan assessment of whether they could trust the process. In addition, USAID supported political debates that helped voters make an informed choice about their future.

About the Authors

Stacie Brown is a Democracy Specialist and Michael McNulty is a Senior Elections Advisor in USAID’s Center for Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance.