One in five elections worldwide is marred by violence—from burned ballot boxes to violent suppression of peaceful rallies, to assassinations of candidates. A USIP study of programs to prevent violence suggests focusing on improving the administration and policing of elections. The study, of elections in Kenya and Liberia, found no evidence that programs of voter consultation or peace messaging were effective there.  A series of speakers discussed these findings.

Speakers:Pat Merloe Senior Associate and Director for Election Programs, NDI

John TomaszewskiAfrica Director, IRI

Joshua ChangwonyDeputy Executive Secretary, Constitution and Reform Education Consortium (CRECO, Kenya)

Oscar Bloh Chairman, Elections Coordination Committee (ECC, Liberia)

Inken von BorzyskowskiAssistant Professor, Florida State University

Jonas Claes, facilitatorSenior Program Officer, Center for Applied Conflict Transformation, USIP

Debra Liang-Fenton, facilitatorSenior Program Officer, Center for Applied Conflict Transformation, USIP