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IFES Staff, Headquarters
In this podcast interview, Lemargie describes what he has observed during his time in the field, his most memorable moments working at IFES and how IFES can continue to make an impact in democracy assistance around the world.
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News & Updates
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Women Against Violence in Elections (WAVE)
Through the Women Against Violence in Elections (WAVE) program, IFES is committed to empowering Bangladeshi women to end cycles of violence and become agents for change in peaceful elections. In her work as a business leader, and founder and president of the Bangladesh Women's Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Selima Ahmed promotes equal opportunities for women. In this video interview, Ahmed describes her work with IFES’ WAVE program and encourages her fellow business leaders to promote positive change in Bangladesh.
News & Updates
Press Release
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.
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.
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.
News & Updates
Press Release
Ballot Guide Developed for Blind Voters in Ghana
Representatives of the Ghana Electoral Commission and the Ghana Association of the Blind have jointly developed a ballot guide which will allow voters who are blind in Ghana to vote independently and in secret. A prototype of the ballot guide was designed during a two-day workshop in Accra on February 18 and 19, 2002. Also participating in the workshop were representatives of the Ghana Federation of the Disabled, the Ghana Federation of the Deaf, Action on Disability and Development/Ghana, and the International Foundation for Election Systems.
News & Updates
Press Release
International Conference Launches Global 'Bill of Electoral Rights for People with Disabilities'
Stockholm, September 17th 2002 -- Disability rights experts and activists, senior election administration officials and international parliamentarians from more than 24 countries met in Sigtuna, Sweden on 14-17th September to draft a global 'Bill of Electoral Rights for People with Disabilities' - the outcome of a first ever effort to bring together concerned parties as equal partners to develop a global initiative in this field. The new Bill of Rights defines and promotes the fundamental rights of people with disabilities in relation to all aspects of the electoral process, in particular: the right to a secret vote, full physical accessibility of polling stations, and full and equal electoral rights for people with mental disabilities.
News & Updates
Press Release
European Parliament Recognizes IFES Leadership on Electoral Access for Disabled
WASHINGTON, D.C. - On January 15, 2003, the European Parliament unanimously passed a resolution on the status of basic human rights in the European Union, in which it recognized the role of IFES in promoting the electoral rights of citizens with disabilities and called on member states to ensure universal application of these rights. The non-binding resolution is produced annually to report on compliance with the European Charter of Fundamental Rights.
News & Updates
Press Release
Salvadorans with Disabilities to Document Accessibility to Electoral Process
Washington, DC – March 14, 2003 – Will citizens with disabilities be able to participate on full and equal terms in the Legislative and Municipal elections being held on March 16 in El Salvador?