What We Do
As a global leader in democracy promotion, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) engages with critical issues in democracy, governance and elections around the world. From programming aimed at ensuring electoral integrity and accountability to efforts to empower underrepresented populations, such as persons with disabilities, women and youth, to participate in electoral and political processes, IFES is at the forefront of innovative work to provide citizens around the world with the fundamental human right to have a say in how they are governed. Our research and surveys build on this work and aim to improve the electoral cycle in order to build sustainable democracy.
Consortium for Elections and Political Processes Strengthening (CEPPS)
CEPPS is composed of three equal partners: IFES, the International Republican Institute and the National Democratic Institute. CEPPS allows IFES to carry out cost-effective global and regional programming to respond to new challenges in strengthening electoral and political processes. Learn more about CEPPS.
Related Content
30 Apr 2020 | News and Updates
In a piece for the Atlantic Council, IFES' Harald Hartvig Jepsen advocates for reforms to Ukraine's Election Code ahead of local elections planned for October.
29 Apr 2020 | News and Updates
IFES President and CEO Anthony Branbury joined the Boston Consulting Group for an online Public Sector Leadership Roundtable on April 17, 2020. Their conversation focused on...
29 Apr 2020 | News and Updates
As the U.S. Congress considers how to address the COVID-19 crisis, IFES is advocating for a robust international response. IFES joined with other InterAction members and partners in a letter to...
29 Apr 2020 | News and Updates
Many schools have transitioned to e-learning in response to COVID-19. To ensure that its university-level civic education course remained highly interactive and participatory in an online format,...
28 Apr 2020 | News and Updates
With governments across the Middle East and North Africa imposing a variety of emergency restrictions to combat COVID-19, IFES is adapting its support to ensure the critical work of promoting and...
28 Apr 2020 | News and Updates
Disasters often inflame and exacerbate existing inequalities, and women continue to be largely left out of decision-making processes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Electoral stakeholders should work...
28 Apr 2020 | News and Updates
Public corruption is like a thread that, if pulled, can undermine the entire democratic tapestry. Crisis situations like the COVID-19 pandemic magnify existing vulnerabilities and create new...
17 Apr 2020 | News and Updates
Persons with disabilities face additional risks of contracting COVID-19, of having inadequate access to health care and of lacking a voice in decision-making. IFES is supporting disabled people’s...
15 Apr 2020 | News and Updates
Many countries use indelible ink to ensure that voters cannot cast multiple ballots. Hand-sanitizing procedures, recommended to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, could also affect the ink’s...
14 Apr 2020 | News and Updates
On March 31, the International Foundation for Electoral System (IFES) held a virtual signing ceremony in partnership with the Georgian Central Election Commission (CEC), information technology vendor...
14 Apr 2020 | News and Updates
Amidst the uncertainty of COVID-19, many countries are grappling with how to modify election procedures to minimize the risk of transmission or change the system for voting completely to avoid the...
9 Apr 2020 | Publication
A new guide from IFES compares the accessibility features of the most-used virtual meeting platforms and provides good practices for ensuring inclusion.
8 Apr 2020 | News and Updates
In an op-ed for Devex, IFES' Anthony Banbury shares lessons learned from the Ebola crisis as guidance for holding elections and averting a democracy crisis during COVID-19.
7 Apr 2020 | Publication
COVID-19 has us all interested in online services, including internet voting, but what are the risks? A new IFES paper aims to assist election stakeholders in determining whether internet voting...
2 Apr 2020 | News and Updates
In honor of Global Elections Day, IFES and local partner organizations conducted a two-day training on ensuring the electoral rights of persons with disabilities for representatives of Kyrgyzstan's...
1 Apr 2020 | News and Updates
Last month, IFES and Future Stars, a self-advocacy organization, trained four new trainers with intellectual disabilities on how to build self-confidence to effectively and meaningfully participate...
31 Mar 2020 | Publication
An IFES assessment team found that the cybersecurity capacity and legislative framework in Bosnia and Herzegovina is still at an early stage of development. IFES presented short- and long-term...
30 Mar 2020 | News and Updates
Without a strong foundation for democratic resilience, a global health crisis can shock democratic institutions and offer a blank check to governments to use emergency powers to curtail political...
30 Mar 2020 | News and Updates
On March 24, IFES held “Slovak Parliamentary Elections in an Era of Disinformation: Post-Election Debrief” as a virtual meeting. The event demonstrated that despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic...
27 Mar 2020 | News and Updates
All electoral activities planned for the near future will be affected one way or another by the COVID-19 pandemic. Election commissions need sound advice and technical assistance to navigate the...
26 Mar 2020 | News and Updates
IFES and the National Youth Council of Macedonia just launched the Public Policy Academy, the first in a series of capacity-building efforts to increase young North Macedonian citizens’ participation...
25 Mar 2020 | News and Updates
Governments worldwide are working remotely, which is a golden opportunity for cyber criminals to sow chaos and make money. Get cyber-safety tips from IFES’ "Regional Election Administration and...
20 Mar 2020 | Publication
Elections around the world have been impacted by COVID-19. IFES has called upon its global network to aggregate the latest information on election postponements, adjusted election dates and risk-...
19 Mar 2020 | Publication
IFES offers expert guidance and best practices to help guide election management bodies’ planning and implementation of electoral events during this global health crisis. Herein we explore risk...
19 Mar 2020 | News and Updates
Read IFES President and CEO Anthony Banbury's message about the impact of the novel coronavirus crisis and how IFES is responding.
18 Mar 2020 | Election FAQ
Vanuatu held elections on March 19. Voters’ concerns included the economy and the Pacific Islands Forum, which will be hosted by Vanuatu in August. To help you understand this important...
6 Mar 2020 | News and Updates
On March 4, IFES President and CEO Anthony Banbury delivered testimony to the United States House of Representatives’ Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission on “Human Rights in Haiti: Ideas for Next...
6 Mar 2020 | News and Updates
Launched ahead of Myanmar's 2020 elections, the “Advanced She Leads” program will support 40 women leaders to effect positive change in their communities.
4 Mar 2020 | News and Updates
Gender Equality in Elections: Q&A with Ukrainian Central Election Commissioner Viktoriia Hlushchenko
Ahead of International Women's Day, IFES spoke with Central Election Commissioner Viktoriia Hlushchenko, who leads gender mainstreaming and gender equality in organizing elections and referendums in...
28 Feb 2020 | Publication
An IFES fact sheet summarizes the four different ways women’s reserved seats in Bangladesh are currently filled: one system at the national level, two at the subdistrict level and one at the local...
28 Feb 2020 | News and Updates
For over 20 years, IFES Senior Civic Education Expert Dr. Greer Burroughs has contributed to the growth of democratic civic education around the world. In this Q&A, Dr. Burroughs reflects on the...
28 Feb 2020 | Publication
Leaders of election management bodies operate in a unique and challenging space. They may be required to carry out their mandates during complex transitions and under crisis scenarios like COVID-19.
27 Feb 2020 | News and Updates
As part of IFES' Democracy: From Theory to Practice course in Ukraine, students work on a capstone project together to identify one important societal issue or problem of their choice, conduct...
26 Feb 2020 | Election FAQ
On March 1, the Republic of Tajikistan held elections to the Majlisi Namoyandagon, the lower house of its bicameral Parliament. Of the 63 members, 41 were elected from single-mandate districts...
24 Feb 2020 | Election FAQ
On February 29, the Slovak Republic held elections for the National Council, which may result in a shake-up in its composition. To help you understand this important electoral process, IFES...
16 Feb 2020 | News and Updates
IFES acknowledges the Central Electoral Board's decision to suspend the municipal elections in the Dominican Republic and encourages all efforts to protect the integrity of the elections through a...
11 Feb 2020 | News and Updates
Last month, IFES and the Nepal Disabled Women Association trained women advocates with disabilities and journalists on rights-based reporting techniques for elections and democratic processes. Such...
6 Feb 2020 | Publication
At the request of the Central Electoral Board and with support of USAID, IFES conducted a pre-electoral assessment of the automated voting system to be used in the Dominican Republic’s upcoming...
6 Feb 2020 | News and Updates
On February 3, 11 Ukrainian students announced the registration of a new nongovernmental organization called the Youth Democratic Association. All of the organization's co-founders were participants...
6 Feb 2020 | Multimedia
Democracy: From Theory to Practice is an innovative, interactive course on civic education currently taught at more than 20 universities across Ukraine. Watch a video to see how thousands of...
30 Jan 2020 | Election FAQ
On February 9, the Republic of Azerbaijan held early elections to replace the Parliament dissolved by President Ilham Aliyev on December 5. Economic, judicial and social reforms ranked high on...
27 Jan 2020 | Publication
IFES conducted a study of women’s political representation and political finance in Nepal’s House of Representatives elections in 2017. IFES hopes the resulting report sparks discussions on the...
24 Jan 2020 | News and Updates
At the request of the Central Electoral Board and with support from USAID, IFES has been conducting a pre-electoral assessment of the electronic voting system to be used in the Dominican Republic’s...
24 Jan 2020 | News and Updates
Oleh Matvieievskyi is a law, criminology and forensic science lecturer with over 20 years of experience who teaches at the National University Odesa Maritime Academy in Ukraine. His vision of...
24 Jan 2020 | News and Updates
IFES developed the Democracy: From Theory to Practice course, which aims to inspire and prepare students to be active and responsible citizens capable of contributing to healthy democratic...
24 Jan 2020 | News and Updates
The International Day of Education, commemorated on January 24th, celebrates education and its centrality to sustainable development. For more than 30 years, IFES has conducted civic education...
22 Jan 2020 | Election FAQ
On January 23, Nepal held elections to replace 19 National Assembly members whose terms will expire in March. To help you understand this important electoral process, IFES provides Frequently...
17 Jan 2020 | News and Updates
At the request of the Central Electoral Board (JCE) and with support from USAID, IFES is assisting the 2020 electoral process in the Dominican Republic. IFES’ cooperation during the current...
15 Jan 2020 | News and Updates
Residents of Ethiopia's Sidama Zone voted in a referendum for regional autonomy on November 20. With results demonstrating that approximately 98.5 percent voted in support of statehood, Sidama...
14 Jan 2020 | News and Updates
IFES trained Libyan government officials and disability rights advocates on polling station audits and accessible architecture. Such audits and trainings encourage and foster best practices for...
10 Jan 2020 | Multimedia
As part of an effort to enfranchise illiterate women residing in rural areas to hold their government accountable, IFES partnered with USAID and the Tunisian Mediterranean Center to train and deploy...