To be successful in an election, political parties must do more than simply campaign well; they must safeguard their interests at the ballot box through protecting the integrity of the election process. Political party pollwatching increasingly has become recognized as a standard part of the process in elections worldwide. Conducting pollwatching programs to systematically train and deploy a cadre of activists is also a party-building activity that strengthens party networks and develops skills of staff and key supporters.
As a party institute, the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI) has long understood the value of party pollwatching as an opportunity to strengthen democratic party structures, as well as a mechanism for deterring fraud on election day and beyond. NDI has worked extensively with political parties in over 50 countries to strategize how to protect their electoral rights, including training of party pollwatchers. Program activities focus not only on observing voting processes on election day, but include such techniques as verifying voter registries, monitoring ballot qualification processes and observing the vote tabulation process from the polling station level to the central election authorities. NDI also works with parties to make use of election complaint mechanisms as a means to seek redress for election-related grievances.
Related to pollwatching activities are programs that help to promote inter-party dialogue during the election period. As a component of our programs, NDI has often identified opportunities to initiate party dialogue such as roundtables on the legal framework for elections, the drafting of codes of conduct and the formation of inter-party election committees to diffuse possible conflicts and reduce violence. NDI has found such programs to be important in promoting elections as a peaceful way to resolve political competition in such diverse places as Cambodia, Kenya, Macedonia, Peru and Sierra Leone. The Institute also has assisted political parties and civic organizations in developing election law reform initiatives in more than 30 countries as part of efforts to promote electoral integrity.
The Institute has published numerous documents to assist political parties in these various efforts. Our more recent publications on this subject include: Building Confidence in the Voter Registration Process: An NDI Monitoring Guide for Political Parties and Civic Organizations; Media Monitoring to Promote Democratic Elections: An NDI Handbook for Citizen Organizations and The Quick Count and Election Observation: An NDI Handbook for Civic Organizations and Political Parties.
Contact Information
For more information on NDI's Party Pollwatching and other Election Programs, please contact:
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