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Contact: Soyia Ellison, soyia.ellison@cartercenter.org

The International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) and The Carter Center have entered into a memorandum of understanding to guide a partnership based on the common mission of strengthening the quality of elections and democracy.

"The Carter Center looks forward to the partnership with The International Foundation for Electoral Systems, a leader in the fields of elections and governance," said David Carroll, director of the Carter Center's Democracy Program. "Working together, we will advance the global discourse on election integrity and better understand how we measure the quality of elections, as well as the impact of election assistance."

IFES and The Carter Center are long-time leaders in the elections and governance field, with over 50 years combined experience promoting sustainable democracy. In order to leverage the potential contribution of their combined efforts, IFES and the Center have agreed to establish a mutually cooperative relationship in the field of election observation and assistance.

"For decades, election administration technical assistance providers and election observer groups have used different approaches to develop international standards and define best practices," said Chad Vickery, director of IFES' Center for Applied Research and Learning. "By joining forces with The Carter Center, we will combine our expertise to bridge the gap between these groups, encourage knowledge sharing, and work to ensure that observer recommendations are implemented and tracked over electoral cycles. These efforts, I believe, will strengthen the quality of democracy."

The agreement enables the organizations to engage in joint activities, including workshops to develop common indicators to assess the quality of elections, and the development of technologies to enhance the collection of election day data. Further pursuits might include research and other activities related to the voting rights of indigenous groups and the sustainability and costs of election technologies, as well as the identification of international and regional disability rights standards and the updating of observation methodologies to address inclusion issues.