Joint organizations release resource promoting election integrity

A group of five organizations said in a press release Sunday that they are releasing “a resource with specific steps government leaders and democracy advocates can take to help strengthen democracy and elections,” as concerns about the stability of democratic systems persist across the world.

The resource, titled “Model Commitments for Advancing Genuine and Credible Elections,” comes from the groups the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA), The Carter Center, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems, the National Democratic Institute, as well as the Kofi Annan Foundation, according to the release. 

A draft of the resource shared with The Hill lists “commitments to assist the efforts of individual countries and electoral integrity advocates to strengthen electoral integrity, and to engage other countries, agencies, and international and national actors to promote electoral integrity.” Among the commitments are “Genuine Elections, “Information Integrity” and “Electoral Accountability.”

“No country fully meets the democratic ideals it embraces. Democratic development, including ensuring genuine elections, requires constant, concerted efforts,” the draft reads. “While making commitments is important, implementing them is crucial. The model commitments below are intended to serve as high-level benchmarks.”

Fears about the instability of democracies have risen in recent years across the world. Democrats in the U.S. have pointed to former President Trump as a danger to democracy, especially in the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021 riots at the U.S. Capitol.

Most Americans in a poll conducted in March said democracy is important to their country’s identity, but that the nation’s democratic system is not functioning well. Over half in the poll — 53 percent — said they believed the U.S. is a “poorly functioning democracy,” while 31 percent said they think the nation is a “well functioning democracy.”