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
20 Nov 2018 | News and Updates
IFES has co-authored an upcoming report, Understanding the Effectiveness of Legal, Policy and Public Measures Designed to Advance Meaningful Youth Political Participation, which will be...
16 Nov 2018 | News and Updates
On November 14, 2018, Vasu Mohan, IFES' regional director for Asia-Pacific and technical lead on elections, conflict and security, provided testimony to the House of Representatives’ Tom Lantos Human...
14 Nov 2018 | News and Updates
Earlier this year, IFES research in Zimbabwe found that women engaging in elections as candidates, voters and journalists were experiencing devastating sexual extortion, physical violence, harassment...
13 Nov 2018 | News and Updates
As part of its commitment to meaningful participation of persons with disabilities in political and public life, IFES is collaborating with Gallaudet University to develop a Haitian sign language...
9 Nov 2018 | News and Updates
On November 6, 2018, IFES and the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) celebrated the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which reaffirms the longstanding relationship between IFES and...
9 Nov 2018 | News and Updates
On September 9, IFES and the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) of The Gambia co-organized a workshop on the theme “Elections in The Gambia: Toward Consensus and Access,” which was attended by...
9 Nov 2018 | News and Updates
On November 5, 2018, IFES President and CEO Anthony Banbury met with Dr. Lorenzo Córdova Vianello, chair of Mexico’s National Electoral Institute (INE), and they reaffirmed their mutual...
9 Nov 2018 | News and Updates
IFES organized a street theater tour across Tunisia to encourage civic participation among marginalized populations who, living in remote, hard-to-access communities, lack access to information on...
1 Nov 2018 | News and Updates
IFES welcomes former Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations Anthony (Tony) Banbury as its new President and CEO. Banbury brings 30 years of experience in public service to IFES, with...
30 Oct 2018 | Election FAQ
On November 6, United States citizens went to the polls to elect all 435 members of the House of Representatives, 35 members of the Senate and a number of state and local representatives. To...
26 Oct 2018 | Election FAQ
On November 14, Fijian citizens went to the polls to elect 51 members of Parliament, the country’s national legislature. The political party that controls a majority or plurality of seats will form a...
22 Oct 2018 | Election FAQ
On October 28, Georgian citizens went to the polls to elect the next president. This was the country’s seventh and last direct presidential election since its independence from the Soviet Union in...
19 Oct 2018 | News and Updates
On September 19, IFES and Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Tex.) co-hosted a briefing on how technology can engage and connect women; increase and inhibit political participation; provide...
17 Oct 2018 | Publication
In a new publication, IFES outlines strategies for election management bodies to strengthen their technology and procedures to resist vulnerabilities, by following what we have termed a Holistic...
16 Oct 2018 | Publication
According to the World Health Organization, one out of every seven people in the world has a disability, yet citizens with disabilities remain underrepresented in political life as voters, election...
10 Oct 2018 | News and Updates
A photograph depicting an insightful moment of Election Day in Mexico has won the top prize of the International Foundation for Electoral Systems’ 2018 Photography Contest. It was one of six photos...
9 Oct 2018 | Multimedia
From August 11 to 13, the Election Commission of Sri Lanka (EC) and IFES held a “Democracy Fellowship Youth Camp” with 70 participants from across Sri Lanka.
9 Oct 2018 | News and Updates
On August 4, 2018, IFES and the Libyan Ministry of Education (MoE) celebrated the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at underpinning future cooperation in Libya. The MoU is the...
5 Oct 2018 | News and Updates
IFES was honored to participate in an international visitors’ program on the occasion of Quebec’s 42nd general elections from September 28 to October 3, in Quebec City, Canada. The 2018...
5 Oct 2018 | News and Updates
At a ceremony in Tunis on October 4, the United States Government and the Government of Denmark announced their joint support to strengthen municipal council electoral processes in Libya through IFES.
4 Oct 2018 | News and Updates
On October 5th, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women will brief the General Assembly on violence against women in politics and release a dedicated report, which ...
4 Oct 2018 | Election FAQ
On October 7, Bosnia and Herzegovina held presidential, parliamentary, entity and cantonal elections. To help you understand this important electoral process, IFES provides Frequently Asked Questions...
3 Oct 2018 | News and Updates
IFES reaffirms the fundamental rights of human security and universal suffrage and commits its support to election management bodies, civil society organizations, law enforcement officials and other...
1 Oct 2018 | News and Updates
Georgia’s Central Election Commission (CEC) and Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) signed their third consecutive Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on electoral security on September 12, 2018. The...
1 Oct 2018 | News and Updates
The ability for people to participate in elections free from the fear of harm is essential to inclusive, credible elections and protected by the right to human security and universal suffrage. In...
1 Oct 2018 | Election FAQ
On October 7, Brazil held presidential, legislative, and local elections. Former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was banned from running in the presidential election, and candidates also competed...
30 Sep 2018 | News and Updates
An IFES delegation, led by President and CEO Bill Sweeney, met with Georgian Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhktadze on September 18, in Washington, D.C. Bakhtadze credited IFES for providing key...
19 Sep 2018 | News and Updates
IFES is pleased to be an associated partner in a new training network for early-stage researchers in the field of disability rights. The Disability Advocacy Research in Europe project will recruit 15...
19 Sep 2018 | News and Updates
IFES and the Nepal Disabled Women Association trained women with disabilities as part of a “Power to Persuade: Empowering Women with Disabilities to Influence Public Policy” training from August 27-...
19 Sep 2018 | News and Updates
IFES is saddened by the passing of Finnish politician and disability rights advocate Kalle Könkkölä on September 11. He served from 1983 to 1987 as the first member of the Finnish Parliament with a...
19 Sep 2018 | News and Updates
The Papua New Guinea Electoral Commission officially launched its 2018-2022 Corporate Plan, which will guide the commission’s efforts to prepare for and conduct effective, inclusive elections,...
14 Sep 2018 | News and Updates
Kyrgyzstan is a burgeoning democracy full of young people. Over 45 percent of the population is below age 24, and over 30 percent is 14 or younger. Now a 20-year legacy, IFES Democracy Camps help...
13 Sep 2018 | News and Updates
IFES is working to establish peer networks in Europe and Eurasia and Africa, supported by the United States Agency for International Development. Regional knowledge exchange allows judges and...
12 Sep 2018 | News and Updates
On August 29-30, 2018, IFES implemented a new tool for training senior electoral leaders in Colombo, Sri Lanka, following the fourth annual Asian Electoral Stakeholders Forum. The curriculum was...
11 Sep 2018 | News and Updates
IFES’ Kenya Electoral System Support project collaborated with Women Challenged to Challenge (WCC), an umbrella disabled people’s organization, to develop a policy platform document that will support...
11 Sep 2018 | News and Updates
In Kosovo, IFES’ team has initiated a noteworthy program for Election Complaints and Appeals Panel (ECAP) Secretariat staffers, as part of the USAID-funded Strengthening Election Administration...
11 Sep 2018 | News and Updates
On August 8, 2018, the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) announced that President Joseph Kabila will not be running during the country’s highly anticipated elections set...
30 Aug 2018 | Multimedia
On August 10, the Office of the Bougainville Electoral Commissioner, in partnership with IFES, held a youth participation in elections workshop to celebrate International Youth Day 2018.
30 Aug 2018 | News and Updates
To celebrate International Youth Day, IFES’ civil society partner Association of Youth Organizations Nepal conducted two campaign events around the 2018 theme, “Safe Spaces for Youth,” advocating for...
27 Aug 2018 | News and Updates
The Board of Directors and staff of IFES mourn the passing of U.S. Senator John McCain on August 25, 2018, at the age of 81. Through his leadership of the International Republican Institute for 25...
24 Aug 2018 | Publication
From April 29 to May 5, 2018, IFES, with the support of the Inter-American Institute of Human Rights, participated in a Mission of Technical Accompaniment in Mexico City to analyze the reforms,...
23 Aug 2018 | News and Updates
With the spread of fake news undermining electoral processes worldwide, it has become crucial for the success and security of elections that authorities learn how to identify and counter...
23 Aug 2018 | News and Updates
During the May 2018 municipal elections in Tunisia, IFES conducted an assessment of access and political barriers encountered by women and men with disabilities with support from the United States...
18 Aug 2018 | News and Updates
The Board of Directors and staff of IFES mourn the passing of Kofi Annan, former secretary general of the United Nations, chairman of the Kofi Annan Foundation and Nobel Peace Laureate, on...
17 Aug 2018 | News and Updates
On August 10, IFES became a member of the United States International Council on Disability (USICD). USICD, a network of organizations that promotes inclusion of disability perspectives in U.S....
16 Aug 2018 | News and Updates
En el marco del proyecto “Promoviendo el Liderazgo Político de los Jóvenes con Discapacidad en la Republica Dominicana”, IFES, en asociación con ADIDE con el apoyo del Gobierno de los Estados Unidos...
15 Aug 2018 | News and Updates
A forthcoming IFES research paper outlines various legal approaches to election annulments, explores different grounds for annulment, and outlines procedural considerations for courts and...
15 Aug 2018 | Publication
The Agate Rights Defense Center for Women with Disabilities, with the support of IFES and the United States Agency for International Development, has published new research on the barriers...
15 Aug 2018 | News and Updates
Speak in the Nest, a web and social media platform developed in Kosovo by IFES and the Peer Educators Network with the support of the United States Agency for International Development, became a safe...
13 Aug 2018 | News and Updates
IFES is pleased to announce that Dong Nguyen Huu, a distinguished elections expert who is currently an advisor to the three Mexican electoral authorities, has supported numerous elections worldwide...
8 Aug 2018 | News and Updates
On July 18, IFES and Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Tex.) co-hosted a briefing to discuss harmful practices endured by women and girls globally, such as child, early and forced marriage and...