Every Vote Counts

The impressive roster of election assistance experts and political scientists assembled for this project addresses these issues by defining international electoral assistance and investigating its role in promoting democracy, as well as by providing case studies of elections held in Afghanistan, Indonesia, Iraq, and Ukraine. Overall, this volume provides an excellent introduction to the study of the interaction between electoral assistance and democratization, as well as a set of case studies that illustrate the often overlooked technical details and difficulties of conducting elections in transitional situations.

The impressive roster of election assistance experts and political scientists assembled for this project addresses these issues by defining international electoral assistance and investigating its role in promoting democracy, as well as by providing case studies of elections held in Afghanistan, Indonesia, Iraq, and Ukraine. Overall, this volume provides an excellent introduction to the study of the interaction between electoral assistance and democratization, as well as a set of case studies that illustrate the often overlooked technical details and difficulties of conducting elections in transitional situations.

Every Vote Counts carries an underlying message that democracy is attainable on every continent and can help make the world a more peaceful and humane place... Read this book, reflect on it, learn from it, and use it as you go forward to help return the power to determine a nation's future to its own people.

Edited by Richard W. Soudriette and Juliana Geran Pilon, Ph. D. Richard W. Soudriette is President of IFES (established as the International Foundation for Election Systems in 1987). Prior to joining IFES in 1988, Mr. Soudriette served as Chief of Staff for U.S. Congressman James M. Inhofe (R-OK), Country Director of the U.S. Peace Corps in Paraguay and the Dominican Republic, and Chief of Staff for the mayor of Tulsa, OK. Dr. Pilon, former IFES Vice President of Programs, teaches politics and culture at the Institute of World Politics. She has written several books, including Why America is Such a Hard Sell: Beyond Pride and Prejudice (2007).