The National Democratic Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization working to support and strengthen democratic institutions worldwide through citizen participation, openness and accountability in government.

NDI’s approach to election-related programming seeks to maximize the opportunities presented by elections to help advance democratic progress. NDI programs promote the integrity of electoral and political processes based on international human-rights precepts and the practicalities of mobilizing citizen participation. NDI’s election-related activities are tailored to the broader political process in each country to promote citizen action as electors and as electoral candidates to achieve democratic governance, mitigate potentials for political violence, and improve the lives of people. NDI recognizes that:

• Genuine elections are not merely a technical endeavor; they are a fundamental human right linked to a broad array of institutions and the ability of citizens to exercise other civil and political rights;
• Elections are a periodic test of the strength of democratic institutions, and they illuminate the underlying nature of the competition for political power in a country;
• Elections are a vehicle for the participation of citizens in the democratic process, and they help to build capacities that are central to achieving accountable, democratic governance;
• Elections are part of making democracy deliver a better quality of life by linking voters’ interests to the act of selecting a candidate, party or policy through public discourse and balloting; and
• Elections are a means for managing the potentials for violent conflict and advancing human security.

The Institute has more than 25 years of experience in international election observation. It also assists the electoral integrity efforts of political parties and domestic nonpartisan election monitoring organizations, which have included large numbers of women and youth in more than 90 countries and territories. For more information about NDI's involvement in upcoming elections, view the 2012-2013 Elections Calendar.

International Election Observation

Democratic elections allow citizens to express their will concerning who will have the authority to govern, which is an exercise of sovereignty and an internationally recognized fundamental right. In helping to promote the integrity of elections, NDI organizes international election assessments, which seek to:

• Demonstrate international support for advancing democratic progress in a country;
• Provide an impartial and accurate appraisal of the electoral environment and, where appropriate, recommendations for improving electoral processes;
• Promote public confidence in democratic electoral processes;
• Deter and/or expose electoral fraud; and

• Help to foster a peaceful and open campaigning, voting, counting, results tabulation and respect for the outcomes of genuine democratic elections.

The Institute has organized more than 150 international delegations to observe elections, pre-election environments and post-election developments. NDI was one of the initiators in developing the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation and the Code of Conduct for International Election Observers, which was launched in October 2005 at the United Nations. It is now endorsed by 42 intergovernmental and international nongovernmental organizations, which are engaged in the process of improving international election observation.

The Institute’s election observation missions seek information from political parties and candidates, electoral authorities and other government officials, media, civil society groups, domestic nonpartisan election monitors, and others concerned with electoral integrity. While maintaining impartiality and independent judgment, the missions use the information gathered as the basis for issuing findings and recommendations.

NDI’s experience demonstrates that international election observation can help to mitigate the potential for violence in polarized, conflict-prone circumstances and can illuminate factors that help to promote democratic progress. The Institute takes a long-term approach to election observation, mobilizing politicians, election and human rights experts, and country and regional specialists from a variety of nations in each Institute election observation effort. NDI also cooperates with other credible international and domestic election observers in the course of NDI observation missions.

A comprehensive election assessment takes into account all aspects of the electoral process. These include, among other matters, whether:

• Minimum conditions were set up by the election law and broader legal framework to ensure universal and equal suffrage;
• The electorate was provided with adequate, accurate information upon which to make an informed political choice;
• Those seeking election were subjected to fair qualification processes;
• Electoral contestants had a genuine opportunity to organize and campaign for votes;
• The voter registration process guaranteed electoral rights;
• The voting, counting, tabulation and announcement of results were conducted properly;
• The investigation and resolution of complaints was just; and
• The actual electoral winners assumed office.

Learn more about NDI's work in election monitoring by reading a list of NDI election observer delegation statements.