The Kenya Diaspora Workshop: Considerations for Out-of-Country Voting

A mandate of the newly appointed Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) of Kenya is to enable diaspora voting. With this, there is pressure from political parties and diaspora groups to fully enable out-of-country voting during the March 2013 elections. A policy has been enacted by the IEBC that will allow Kenyan voters to register and vote at 47 embassies worldwide. However, this policy may not completely satisfy the demands for out-of-country voting accessibility.

To promote better understanding among officials and leaders of the Kenyan diaspora on out-of-country voting, IFES hosted a workshop describing the complexities surrounding the implementation of this process. Key topics include how to register and vote; biometric voter registration; and Internet voting.