Welcome
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American University established a Center for Democracy and Election Management to provide education, research, and public engagement on the full range of democracy issues in the United States and the world. Read more...
Highlights
Summer 2009 Election Management Institute: Best Practices in Election Management and Observation
Dates: August 24 - September 4, 2009 (2 weeks with an option of participation in only the first week of institute).
Cost: $1,980 for applications received by July 15, 2009 and $2,180 for applications received after July 15, 2009 (the cost covers all institute expenses including lunches; excludes travel to and from and living costs in Washington, D.C.)
The program is intended to provide hands-on, practical training to improve and promote best practices in election management and observation. The program is designed to offer election practitioners the possibility to hone their electoral skills by participating in workshops offered by renowned electoral academics and experts, and visit relevant electoral institutions in the Washington, D.C., area, New York and Richmond. The program takes place at American University and in the Washington, D.C., area, and tentatively includes day trips to New York and Richmond. For the application form and for more information, please follow this link.
CDEM Institute Participants Play a Key Role in Kuwait's Parliamentary Elections
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Following the successful conduct of the elections for Kuwaiti Parliament held on May 16, 2009, the Center for Democracy and Election Management (CDEM) is happy to announce that three of its election management institute participants played a key role.
Dr. Salwa al-Jassar, a participant in CDEM's winter 2007 election institute, was one of the four women to win a seat in the parliament. This is the first time Kuwaitis have elected women as parliament members. Two hundred and ten candidates ran for 50 parliamentary seats in the election and 16 of them were women.
Mr. Dhari Aljutaili, a participant in the 2008 summer election institute, headed the public relations team for Aseel al-Awadhi, another woman candidate elected.
In addition, Mr. Abdulrahman Alanjiri, a participant in the summer 2008 election institute, took fifth place in the elections and won a seat in parliament as well.
American University's Professor and CDEM institutes' contributor Kristin Diwan was in Kuwait to observe and study the election process.
CDEM's election institutes were made possible with the generous support of the State Department's Middle East Partnership Initiative.
CDEM will be hosting a panel discussing Kuwaiti elections in June 2009, at American University.
For further information please contact CDEM at cdem@american.edu or at 202.885.1426.
CDEM Hosts Regional Conference for Gulf Election Officials in Kuwait, Prepares for Follow-on Study Tour to India
In response to a need identified by election officials and election partners in the Gulf region, American University's Center for Democracy and Election Management (CDEM) convened a conference in Kuwait on February 15 and 16, 2009, to explore establishment of a regional association of Gulf election officials.
Funded by the U.S. Department of State's Middle East Partnership Initiative, the conference provided an opportunity for wide-ranging discussions on regional electoral cooperation that could serve as a platform for improved professional development, networking, data sharing and promotion of electoral best practices and procedures.
Following from the conference, CDEM has begun preliminary work to coordinate a week-long study tour to India during that nation's upcoming national elections which will span a period of several weeks during April-May 2009.
For more information about the conference, please contact CDEM Associate Director, Tihana B. Blanc at bartulac@american.edu.
To see a copy of CDEM's press release, click here
Pre-Election Assessment: Progress on Carter-Baker Commission Recommendations - A New Report from CDEM (October 2008)
 Jimmy Carter addresses AU students on federal election reform, September 2005. |
From voting machines to provisional ballots, the mechanics of American elections have changed over the past few years. But questions remain about whether reforms have gone far enough to restore public trust in our election process.
This year's primaries underscored a number of ongoing problems with voting technology, voter registration lists, unclear standards and insufficient resources--problems that continue to sow doubts about the fairness and accuracy of our elections.
This new report, released at CDEM's Oct. 9th conference, "Looking Beyond Election Day: The Future of Election Reform," offers a pre-election assessment of what progress has been made in election reform since the Carter-Baker Commission on Federal Election reform released its recommendations in 2005.
CDEM Activities
| Education | Research & Publications | Upcoming Events | ||||
Register for SPA's Summer 2009 distance learning course in "International Election Administration" (GOVT-696/496 N03L) taught by CDEM's Associate Director, Tihana Bartulac-Blanc. The course will provide an overview of key aspects and best practices in election management. For more information about the course and syllabus, please contact bartulac@american.edu. |
In January 2009, Alison Prevost testified before the Council Board of Elections Special Elections and Ethics Investigation Committee about the election process and procedures in the District of Columbia and how to improve them. Testimony |
CDEM will host an event on Youth Participation in the 2008 elections on March 25, 2009 from 11:30 to 1:00pm at American University (MGC 247). More information. |