Introduction

Welcome to the IFES F. Clifton White Virtual Resource Center (VRC)!  Thousands of election-related materials from the past two decades are now online and at your fingertips.  The VRC is a searchable repository of unique election materials from countries around the world – use the Project Search box on the right or the Advanced Search (filtered by project) to find what you need.  The VRC also features video and photo exhibits highlighting materials and elections of interest.  IFES’ ongoing work, as well as historic moments in democracy-building, are captured in the VRC pages.  We invite you to contribute materials and/or provide feedback as we improve this dynamic resource portal.

The Materials Collection

Over the years IFES has collected a unique set of election materials, from ballots to country reports to civic education posters.  Previously, these materials were housed in the F. Clifton White Library at IFES in Washington, DC.  Their audience was limited to visitors to the IFES office.  The vision of IFES, and its founder F. Clifton White, has always been global, and IFES wanted to share these materials with a global audience.  IFES has invested in scanning and presenting these collections online to give anyone online virtual access to what is literally a world of experience and expressions of democracy-building.  Materials from Haitian ballots to Ghanaian peaceful election posters to to reports on prisoners’ voting rights can be found in the collections.  Currently, all IFES’ country, topical, and project reports are available online, as well as the majority of the civic education materials (dating back to 1970) that have been donated or gathered from around the world.  Election laws, national constitutions, ballots, posters, and more will be added over the summer.  The collection will be living and dynamic, as IFES continuously posts new materials from around the world to document the democratic process and tools of its global work. All collections will be continuously updated with new materials.

Looking Ahead: Features and exhibits

Many publications or websites talk about historical trends or groundbreaking moments that show the way forward for democracy building.  IFES will use its extensive collection of historical materials and its unparalleled human resources in the field to show, in practical and interactive ways, how such moments play out in people’s lives.