Over the course of the last 20 years, RTG has been involved in helping a number of countries develop their democracies in many important ways, including elections. As the American election is just around the corner, we felt it important to highlight an international perspective to help Americans understand how lucky we are. 

Developing democracies, such as Lebanon and Ethiopia, experienced significant struggles with recent elections. Running successful elections in these countries, as well as in other developing democracies, means more than simply casting ballots. Before the first vote can be made, a robust election process must be created, voted upon, and enacted. That process must be built upon fairness, transparency, and a commitment to strengthening democratic institutions. The period between each election is also critical: do the political parties support the transfer of power or do they seek to weaken government institutions using corruption and intimidation to solidify only their power? 

Further, as democracy starts to take hold, each election is another test of that nation’s resolve: succeed and move forward; fail and the process often restarts with a different government… and that can take decades. Elections are but one of the many hallmarks of the democratic process, but this year in 2024 they are front and center with estimates of up to two billion people potentially voting throughout the world. 

For any election in a developing democracy to succeed, five key elements must be in place at the national level: an independent and impartial electoral commission; a clear, comprehensive—and enforceable—set of laws outlining the rules of the election; a national and non-partisan voter education program to drive participation; a full commitment to transparency of ballots and processes; and a secure environment for voters to have confidence in their own safety as they cast those ballots.

When we talk about an impartial and independent electoral commission we’re really talking about the backbone of electoral integrity. The commission ensures the election process is free from undue influence by political parties, government entities, or other interest groups. The commission must be transparent in its processes and decision making, and the resources need to be available for it to manage the entire electoral process—from voter registration to the final count of the votes. It is only through maintaining the strength and integrity of the commission that we build public trust as we lay the foundation for a fair and credible election. 

Groups like RTG are assisting governments all throughout the world as they build and implement these processes. For example, like many commissions, the National Election Board of Ethiopia saw challenges from COVID leading up to the 2020 elections. They postponed their election and RTG played a supportive role by creating a virtual training program to help voters participate in the 2021 election at the local, regional, and federal levels. In addition, we provided a training platform for Ethiopian organizations to help increase knowledge about the country’s parliamentary system and encourage voter turnout. 

All that said, the real backbone of the commission is the legal framework that governs it. Every democracy around the world must keep this in mind. These transparent, comprehensive, and enforceable laws provide the rules of the game: the election process, campaign finance, media regulations, voter eligibility, the conduct of election officials, etc. Our work, especially in Lebanon throughout the last six years, has brought to light the challenges developing democracies face when it comes to enforcing this framework. It is important to remember every nation has their own challenges. Unfortunately, some challenges are more difficult to overcome than others. With Lebanon’s violent political and regional history, the complex sectarian political landscape is a major hurdle to implementing a truly comprehensive and fair electoral framework.  

While the framework of the election is important, equally important is an informed electorate. For an election to work properly, voters must understand three things: their rights, the process, and the issues at stake. When these three things come together, voters are empowered to make decisions that best reflect their true interests. It is therefore extremely important for developing democracies to ensure voter education projects are widespread and accessible and that they utilize multiple pathways to reach every segment of the population. In 2019 Nigeria was aware of their need for voter education, especially on their tiered voting system and energetic multi-candidate campaigns. RTG went in to help develop voter education and communication initiatives in various parts of the country, including remote areas. Due to the national scope of voter education, these programs don’t get developed overnight. By nature, they’re iterative. An informed electorate is an on-going investment in democracy.  

As mentioned briefly earlier in this article, transparency is a bedrock of legitimate democratic election institutions. Without transparency, the foundation of public trust is put at risk. When the public has confidence, the election is conducted openly and fairly, electoral legitimacy is strengthened. This trust depends upon the country providing clear and accessible mechanisms for accountability, to include independent election observation, transparent vote counting processes, safeguards and regulations to ensure legitimate voting, and effective procedures for reporting and resolving complaints. RTG has been working in various states in Mexico for the last decade to augment research, civil society development and security issues as they pertain to strengthening civil society and participatory democracy at the local level as well as with indigenous groups. 

When we compare elections this year between Mexico and its regional neighbor Venezuela, there is a stark contrast between the two regarding transparency, voter freedom, and fairness. In Mexico, despite years of democratic backsliding into one-party control, election results were generally openly reported and were accepted by the opposition and international observers. Mexican voters could freely choose between multiple candidates and there were no major reports of voter intimidation or widespread irregularities. In Venezuela, opposition candidates were barred from participating. There were widespread reports of human rights violations and intimidation that included killing and arbitrary detentions of protestors and opposition figures. The Organization of American States and the Carter Center rejected official results due to lack of transparency, a stance followed by various countries since.  

Lastly, and in our opinion the most important, is safety and security. If voters don’t feel confident that they can cast their ballots without fear of intimidation, corruption, and violence, none of the other efforts to protect elections in developing democracies matter. State security forces must effectively protect elections to protect voters, candidates, and election officials. In 2022 as Lebanon went to the polls, the specter of regional insecurity, Hezbollah intimidation, an economic crisis, and the backdrop of the 2020 Beirut port blast put an incredible strain on the election. There remains such ongoing tension that despite popular opposition members being elected to parliament, Lebanon today has no sitting president. As the citizens witness the violent struggle between Hezbollah and Israel, municipal elections in Lebanon have been delayed twice and the 2026 parliamentary election could be next, proving insecurity is bad for political stability, the safety of citizens, and democracy itself.  

The importance of election integrity, education, and safety are central parts of every developing democracy around the world. The more these ideals are enacted the more we believe the world will see greater freedom, greater economic opportunity, and ultimately a healthier—better—standard of living for hundreds of millions of our fellow humans.