Americas
The International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) has been developing and implementing programs in the Americas region since its foundation, in 1987. Working together with government officials, electoral management bodies, and civil society organizations, our projects have achieved significant success in promoting transparency and accountability in electoral processes, as well as in increasing civic engagement and the inclusion of marginalized groups in political life. Through activities that range from the assessment of electoral operations procedures and technical assistance with tabulation of results to the organization of voter education campaigns, IFES is supporting sustainable improvements to democratic institutions throughout the Americas. It is also an important part of IFES’ mission in the region to support greater horizontal cooperation and peer-to-peer exchange among democratic institutions.
To learn more about our current projects in the region, please visit our country pages.
Current Field Offices
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Regional Director, Americas
Related Content
15 Aug 2010 | Publication
IFES promotes democratic stability by providing technical assistance and applying field-based research to the electoral cycle worldwide to enhance citizen participation and strengthen civil...
4 Aug 2010 | Multimedia
In this two-minute video, Bill Sweeney, IFES president and CEO, gives a quick overview of IFES and the work we do. He talks about our experts, how we partner with local election management bodies and...
9 Jun 2010 | Multimedia
On Sunday, August 29, 2010, IFES and the Faculty of Economics and Political Science (FEPS) at Cairo University hosted a workshop at the university featuring representatives of the National Council...
17 May 2010 | Multimedia
IFES staff spends many hours in service each year at the Capital Area Food Bank. Their efforts help address hunger in the Washington, D.C. community.
3 May 2010 | News and Updates
WASHINGTON—The International Foundation for Electoral System (IFES), the leading NGO in elections assistance, has unveiled a new, vastly improved and more user-friendly version of its website, www....
29 Apr 2010 | Publication
Due to the earthquake on January 12, 2010, elections for the members of the House of Representatives and one third of the Senate scheduled for February 28 and April 4, 2010, were canceled. As a...
29 Apr 2010 | Publication
During the months of March and April 2010, IFES conducted a technical assessment of Haiti’s capacity to hold elections. The Post-Disaster Assessment on the Feasibility of Organizing Free and fair...
16 Mar 2010 | Multimedia
The International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) conducted this second annual democracy-themed photography competition as a means to profile the many ways individuals can demonstrate a sense...
16 Mar 2010 | Multimedia
The International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) conducted this second annual democracy-themed photography competition as a means to profile the many ways individuals can demonstrate a sense...
4 Mar 2010 | Publication
At the request of Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) and with funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), IFES is assisting the Commission in the...
1 Mar 2010 | News and Updates
Iraqi citizens living abroad will be able to vote for Iraq's Council of Representatives
29 Nov 2009 | News and Updates
WASHINGTON, D.C.—November 30, 2009— Wyatt A. Stewart, III, a renowned political and nonprofit management and fundraising consultant, is joining the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (...
20 Nov 2009 | Publication
Using public opinion data from 18 Latin American countries, as well as aggregate data on the institutional design of EMBs, this study examines how attitudes towards Election Management Bodies (...
18 Nov 2009 | News and Updates
Rafael López-Pintor, a pioneer in the democracy promotion movement who has helped improve the electoral systems of more than twenty countries, is the winner of IFES' Joe C. Baxter Award. The...
18 Nov 2009 | News and Updates
WASHINGTON, D.C.—The International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) has released Political Finance Regulation: The Global Experience, which offers insight into how the often-muddy intersection...
19 Aug 2009 | Multimedia
Dr. Abdel Monem Said Aly, Chairman of the Board of Al Ahram Foundation, spoke at IFES about the process of democratization in Egypt. Dr. Said, a prominent figure in Egyptian politics and media,...
15 Jun 2009 | News and Updates
Bill Sweeney, IFES' new president & CEO, sat down with Jamie Dettmer, IFES Director of Communications and Advocacy, and Laura Osio, IFES Press Officer, to talk about why he joined IFES.
1 Jun 2009 | News and Updates
La Fundación Internacional para Sistemas Electorales (IFES), organización no gubernamental y líder mundial en asistencia electoral, anunció hoy el nombramiento de su nuevo Presidente, el Sr. William...
1 Jun 2009 | News and Updates
The world's leading election-assistance non-governmental organization, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems, announced today the appointment of former EDS Vice-President William "...
31 May 2009 | Election Material
“Massive Registration Today” is a periodical article, available in Spanish, published in June 1990 by “El Comercio” newspaper in Ecuador. The article features the coverage of child elections...
26 May 2009 | News and Updates
On Saturday, May 23, 2009, six IFES staff members and some of their relatives spent the morning volunteering at Washington, DC's Capital Area Food Bank (CAFB).
20 Apr 2009 | Multimedia
The 2009 IFES photo competition winners and runners-up.
31 Mar 2009 | News and Updates
The International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) presented a one-time award to CNN's Bill Schneider for his extensive coverage and keen insight of the 2008 United States presidential...
26 Mar 2009 | News and Updates
The winners and finalists of the 2009 IFES photo competition have been announced.
11 Feb 2009 | Multimedia
IFES and the Carter Center hosted a groundbreaking two-day conference on international campaign finance observation.
21 Jan 2009 | Multimedia
IFES presents the report Implementation of the Electoral Reform 2007/2008 from an International Comparative Perspective to the IFE, Mexico's electoral institute, and national and international media.
21 Jan 2009 | Multimedia
Carlos Hinojosa, IFES-Americas Country Manager, participates in the OAS mission while in Ecuador to promote IFES' project for equitable participation of Afro-Ecuadorians in the political process.
20 Jan 2009 | News and Updates
In the past few months IFES has revamped and expanded its communications and advocacy efforts and added staff to its outreach department. In the fall Jamie Dettmer, an international journalist and...
18 Dec 2008 | Multimedia
Experts discuss effects of authoritarian regimes in democracy promotion
29 Nov 2008 | Publication
Description: Does African dependence on foreign aid undermine the evolution of representative institutions? Using cross-national data and public opinion data, Olufunmbi M. Elemo, a PhD candidate in...
25 Nov 2008 | Multimedia
Representing more than 40 countries top election officials explore key election issues and democracy-development challenges.
3 Nov 2008 | News and Updates
Jamie Dettmer explains why Americans should celebrate their democracy - The Kojo Nnamdi Show
26 Sep 2008 | News and Updates
Alaska is not alone in having to deal with unscrupulous politicians. Feidt speaks with Dr. Marcin Walecki of the International Foundation for Electoral Systems in Washington, DC: he trains countries...
21 Apr 2008 | News and Updates
April 20, 2008, saw the people of Paraguay hold elections to select their new President, Vice-President, Senators, Deputies, Representatives for PARLASUR, Governors and Departmental Councils.
21 Apr 2008 | News and Updates
19 April 2008 – Hours from opening of the polls on April 20, the date on which Paraguayan voters will elect their highest national and departmental authorities,
24 Mar 2008 | News and Updates
International election observers, led by IFES, will announce results of their pre-electoral assessment at a press conference in Asunción tomorrow.
26 Feb 2008 | News and Updates
A team of five international election experts led by IFES arrived in Paraguay this week to begin observation activities for the April 20 presidential and parliamentary elections. The assessment...
11 Jan 2008 | Publication
The Resolution of Election Disputes, 2nd Edition is the most up-to-date centralized information source for understanding, responding to, and preventing election disputes and irregularities in the U...
12 Oct 2007 | Multimedia
IFES celebrated its 20th anniversary by honoring two 'champions of democracy.'
29 Jun 2007 | Publication
Citizens in many countries are upset because they believe the current financing of politics (which involves corruption and under-the-table deals) is violating the basic democratic values of equal...
5 Jun 2007 | Multimedia
Richard Soudriette steps down as president of IFES in June after 19 years. Here is a look back at some memorable moments.
31 May 2007 | Publication
IFES en colaboración con el Consejo Supremo Electoral de Nicaragua y la Dirección del Registro Civil Nacional desarrollo un nuevo manual oficial para los registradores civiles, el Manual del...
13 Apr 2007 | Multimedia
Photos from the vendor hall at the 2007 Global Electoral Organisations Conference
12 Apr 2007 | Multimedia
Photos from the special events at the 2007 Global Electoral Organisations Conference
7 Mar 2007 | News and Updates
A new publication from IFES documents activities and lessons learned from the first-ever project that aimed to increase voting by Nicaraguans with disabilities and thereby make the country’s...
4 Mar 2007 | Publication
This project report describes the first-ever experience in Nicaragua in support of voting for persons with a disability. It reflects the conclusions arrived at by means of a project evaluation...
31 Jan 2007 | Publication
The report compiles and compares the different ways that Colombia, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Panamá have reformed their civil registries and processes for collecting voter information. The original...
31 Dec 2006 | Election Material
“50 Ans au Coeur de la Democratie” is a leaflet from 2007, available in French, which celebrates the fact that the Director General of Elections in Quebec has been at the heart of the electoral...
11 Oct 2006 | News and Updates
African descendants in Ecuador will observe elections in their communities for the first time during the presidential and legislative polls on October 15