1. Fourth Online Symposium on Elections in Times of Epidemic
10 November 2020
Continuing the successful series of Online Symposiums on Elections in Times of Epidemic the ACEEEO organizes the Fourth Symposium tomorrow, on 10 November 2020, 15.00-17.00 (CEST).
The spread of COVID-19 virus and the preventive measures of the responsible healthcare institutions are still making impossible most of the physical gatherings of international electoral experts. Nevertheless, a constant exchange of experiences is vital for the electoral officials who continue to work on safe and meaningful elections. Therefore, the ACEEEO in line with its mission continues to provide a platform for electoral practitioners to discuss and learn about the recent developments and best practices in the field of Elections in Times of Epidemic.
Thus, the ACEEEO invites all the interested to attend the Fourth Symposium on 10 November 2020, which will deal with the topic from a general angle on the one side, and from a country specific perspective from the other side, tackling the experiences from elections held in Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Lithuania, Republic of Moldova, Ukraine and the U.S.
The Online Symposium is freely accessible, however, prior registration is needed. If you wish to participate, please send an e-mail to aceeeo@aceeeo.org.
The program includes:
15.00 – 15.10 – Greetings from Zsolt Szolnoki, Secretary General, ACEEEO
15.10 – 16.00 – Follow-up on the Elections in the ACEEEO region
Speakers:
Laura Matjošaitytė, Chairperson of the Central Electoral Commission of Lithuania
Dr. Dorin Cimil, Chairman of the Central Election Commissionof the Republic of Moldova
Representatives of the EMBs of Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, and Ukraine are also invited
16.00 – 16.50 – The experience from the U.S. Presidential Election of 2020
Speakers:
Paul DeGregorio, Honorary Member, ACEEEO
Matt Masterson, Senior Advisor Cyber security and Elections, Department of Homeland Security
Tammy Patrick, Senior Advisor, Democracy Fund
Ed Goeas, President and CEO, The Tarrance Group
16.50 – 17.00 – Debate and closing remarks
2. Recent events in the ACEEEO
Despite the spread of COVID-19 virus hinders most of the in-person meetings, the ACEEEO Secretariat continues to take an active part in the international exchange of experiences and best practices online.
29th Annual Conference of the ACEEEO
On 9-10 September 2020 the ACEEEO and the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Georgia cooranized the 29th Annual Conference of the ACEEEO with the topic of ‘Elections and Communications - The role of Electoral Management Bodies in conducting and facilitating effective communication’. The Conference was structured to embrace both the external and internal aspects, as well as different aims, including education, providing of information, etc. Regarding external communication, the importance of upholding trust is to be underlined, and EMBs have an important task in this regard. Both traditional and modern forms of communication needs to be applied, and a special attention should be paid to the youth. As to the context, a lot depends on how free and pluralistic the media sphere is, moreover, issues should be approached from a gender angle as well, for example gender misinformation. Regarding internal communications, the constant flow of information within the EMB system is of upmost importance, as well as with other relevant actors, e.g. experts, political parties, courts. EMBs should be prepared strategically to deal with disinformation during elections. Finally, elections from the ACEEEO region show that it is possible to conduct elections and communications successfully even in times of pandemic, however, special attention should be paid that the changes in order to adapt to the new situation are enacted in a transparent and democratic fashion. For the presentations and video footage please visit our website. Also, please read the ACEEEO Recommendations - Elections in the ACEEEO region in times of Covid-19.
Online Roundtables on Special Voting Arrangements
Due to the continuing interest in how elections are being conducted around the globe and what special voting arrangements are in place in different countries, International IDEA and ACEEEO are convening a series of online webinars on postal, early and mobile forms of voting in the period of 27 October to 17 November 2020. The first webinar held on 27 October with the title 'Postal Voting: New Challenges, Old Solutions?' featured prominent speakers from the EMBs of Poland, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, as well as the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights. The second webinar has been held on 3 November and focused on the 'Early Voting - Essential Safeguards for Electoral Integrity', with the case studies of the representatives of Finland, Lithuania, Portugal and Slovenia, as well as the OSCE/ODIHR. The reports and results of the webinars will be published by International IDEA and ACEEEO very soon.
2020 U.S. Election Program
The International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), our partner, organized and streamed a series of live online events between 27 October and 4 November. The ACEEEO Secretariat attended many of the expert analysis' sessions and discussions of the Virtual U.S. Election Program (USEP). The analysis of the specifics and mechanics of election day, the challenges of dealing with misinformation about the process, as well as the post-election aspects of the recent election will continue in the ACEEEO's online symposium tomorrow.
3. Elections in the region
Date |
Country |
Type of election |
15 November 2020 |
Bosnia and Herzegovina |
Local |
6 December 2020 |
Romania |
Parliamentary |
10 January 2021 |
Kazakhstan |
Parliamentary |
10 January 2021 |
Kyrgyzstan |
Presidential |
March 2021 |
Bulgaria |
Parliamentary |
25 April 2021 |
Albania |
Parliamentary |