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Voter Education Helps Iraqis to Participate in Provincial Elections
FrontLines - March 2009
A
n elderly man checks the voter list for his name at a polling station in Buhriz, Diyala province.
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Baghdad—In the weeks before the Jan. 31 provincial elections, hundreds of thousands of people attended grassroots voter education workshops on how the election process works and how to make votes count.
More than 14,000 candidates vied for 440 seats on provincial councils in 14 of Iraq’s 18 governorates.
The autonomous Kurdish region and oil-rich Kirkuk will hold elections at a later date that has not yet been set.
Unlike previous elections that were accompanied by boycotting or violence, this election involved participation from all ethnic groups without any noticeable violence.
Instead of violence, the biggest
obstacle that voters faced was an overwhelming number of political parties, coalitions, and candidates—all with their own goals and positions.
Kent Larson, USAID director of the Office of Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs), said that “for the first time Iraqis have had a chance to vote for individuals
and not just for parties.”
“The Iraqis saw the need to educate the voters on the election process and mobilized communities
to generate information on how to vote. This was an excellent
example of how Iraqis are leading and helping other Iraqis.”
Alongside the United Nations and other international donors, USAID is providing technical assistance to the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) through a six-year, $102 million elections support program
implemented by the International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES).
As polling day neared, voters enrolled in workshops led by 170 civil society groups and NGOs trained through USAID’s Iraq Rapid Assistance Program. The local organizations worked with PRTs to oversee the voter education efforts.
Election workers used television,
newspapers, posters, and billboards to reach out to Iraqis, and provided sample ballots and a list of candidates’ names to help voters make informed decisions.
Voter outreach took place in some of Iraq’s most dangerous areas such as Diyala, Iskandariya, and Sadr City. Local civil society groups, staffed by individuals familiar with the communities, held workshops in conference rooms, tents, classrooms, soccer fields, and community centers.
Four million Iraqis received information from media efforts while 300,000 Iraqis attended workshops led by civil society groups and NGOs, according to USAID contractor Development Alternatives, Inc.
The United Nations and the U.S. State Department also provided
grants to civil society organizations to promote voter awareness.
Miles Toder, USAID advisor for the Office of Democracy and Governance, said, “We are delighted to have played a supporting role in which the government of Iraq, its Council of Representatives, and the IHEC took the lead, managed the process
of passing the legislation, and administered the elections for governorate councils.”
“Now we look forward to assisting the new councils and the government as they execute an ambitious new legal framework,
devolve more powers to the provinces and, for the first time ever, elect local councils later this year.”
Since 2003, USAID has spent more than $6 billion on programs
designed to stabilize communities;
foster economic and agricultural growth; and build the capacity of the national, local, and provincial governments
to respond to the needs of the Iraqi people.
★
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