Harvard Kennedy School to Host International Election Fellows for Daylong Symposium on U.S. Elections

CAMBRIDGE, MA – A group of young international leaders will gather Nov. 6 at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University to analyze the outcomes and ramifications of the U.S. presidential and congressional election. The symposium will conclude the nearly two-week I-VOTE (International Visitors Observe the Election) 2008 project.

Nearly 100 Election Fellows from 73 countries, selected by U.S. ambassadors to participate in the I-VOTE project, will participate in the symposium.

Between October 26 and November 8, these emerging leaders – all between the ages of 30 and 50 and involved in promoting democracy in their countries – are observing the U.S. political system during the final countdown to Election Day 2008. The exchange initiative, arranged by Meridian International Center, is part of the International Visitor Leadership Program of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

Each of the Fellows, who are all fluent in English, will have traveled to Washington D.C. and to one of five key battleground states: Colorado, Florida, Minnesota, Missouri, and Ohio. They will have also traveled in teams of two to some 50 communities across the country. I-VOTE is designed to immerse them in national, state and local election processes, introducing them to election officials, political analysts, citizen activists, students, academics, voters and the candidates themselves for an increased understanding of the U.S. electoral process.

“This project is a wonderful opportunity for these young emerging leaders from across the world to watch democracy in action as they observe and dissect the election process in the United States,” said David King, lecturer in public policy at Harvard Kennedy School. “I suspect that the lessons learned here will help inform the election processes in their home countries in the years to come.”

The Nov. 6 symposium will consist of debriefing sessions, panel discussions and a reception with Harvard Kennedy School faculty and Mason Fellows. Faculty members scheduled to participate include Steve Ansolabehere, professor of government, Harvard College; Alex Castellanos, Resident Fellow, Institute of Politics; Jennifer Donahue, Resident Fellow, Institute of Politics; Alexander Keyssar, professor of history and social policy; David King, lecturer in public policy; Richard Parker, lecturer in public policy; and Thomas Vilsack, Resident Fellow, Institute of Politics, and former governor, state of Iowa (1998-2006).

Accredited journalists are invited to cover the Nov. 6 symposium at Harvard Kennedy School. Please phone the Communications Office at (617) 495-1115 to arrange coverage.

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