On this page, we have listed the best links about voting and democracy we could find on the Web. If you know of a resource we should add, please email kara@idealist.org. If you notice any broken links or bugs, please email web@idealist.org.
Election Resources on the Internet links to Internet sites from around the world that provide complete and detailed national and local election statistics, as well as other election resources. Also available in Spanish.
The International Foundation for Election Systems provides professional advice and technical assistance in promoting democracy and serves as an information clearinghouse on elections, rule of law, governance, and civil society.
International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance is an intergovernmental organization that seeks to nurture and support sustainable democracy world-wide. Global in membership and independent of specific national interests, IDEA works with both new and long-established democracies, helping to develop the institutions and culture of democracy.
United Nations Electoral Assistance
is a system-wide endeavor, tapping the complementary expertise and capacities of several organs of the United Nations family. In the field of technical assistance, the Electoral Assistance Division (EAD) continues to work closely with the United Nations Development Programme, the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, and the Office of Project Services.
3
Africa
The Association of African Election Authorities
is a membership organization dedicated to the professionalization of election administration through information exchange and regional networking. The Association was conceived at the Colloquium of African Election Authorities held in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe in November 1994 and since then has developed into an Association with sixteen full members and six associate members.
The Electoral Institute of Southern Africa
is a nonprofit that was established in 1996, based in Johannesburg, South Africa. Its mission is to strengthen electoral processes, good governance, human rights, and democratic values through research, capacity building, advocacy, and other targeted interventions.
Independent Electoral Commission of South Africa states its mission as strengthening constitutional democracy through the delivery of free and fair elections in which every voter is able to record his or her informed choice.
4
Asia
The Asia Foundation
works to promote participatory, accountable, and transparent governance and strengthen the rule of law. The Foundation supports programs in Asia that help improve governance and law, economic reform and development, women's empowerment, and international relations.
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL)
serves as a regional network of Asian election observation and human rights organizations with a clear mandate to promote regional democratization. ANFREL has observed elections in Thailand, East Timor, Indonesia, Pakistan, Cambodia, Malaysia, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Nepal, Hong Kong, India, Sri Lanka, Japan, and Taiwan.
Eurasianet.org's Election Watch
provides reportage and resources about the conduct of elections in the region in cooperation with local researchers in each of the nations of the Caucasus and Central Asia. Also available in Arabic and Russian.
5
Europe
The Database of Legislation and Election Results
The principal aim of this University of Essex project is to explain the role of electoral systems in the process of democratization in post-communist Europe. The investigation focuses on twelve core countries (Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, and Ukraine).
The European Union's Human Rights and Democratisation Policy The aim of this communication is to contribute strategically to the definition of a coherent European policy line, taking into account lessons learned from previous experiences. It responds to a specific request by the European Parliament to the Commission to assess EU participation in election observation missions around the globe in recent years.
The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights promotes democracy and assists the participating States in building democratic institutions and is active in the fields of election observation, democratic development, human rights, tolerance and non-discrimination, and rule of law.
Latin American Network Information Center's Electoral Observatory
LANIC's mission is to facilitate access to internet-based information related to Latin America. Its target audience includes people living in Latin America, as well as those around the world who have an interest in this region. The Electoral Observatory tracks elections throughout the region.
The Unit for the Promotion of Democracy (UPD) is the principal body within the General Secretariat of the Organization of American States (OAS) responsible for activities in support of democratic consolidation in its member states.
7
United States
The Carter Center Democracy Program works to give people control over how they are governed by conducting international election monitoring with teams of election observers, strengthening the capacity of civic organizations to participate in government policy making, and promoting the rule of law.
CollegeVote.org is designed for students, faculty, and administrators as a clearinghouse of resources to educate, register, and mobilize college student voters.
Congress.org is a "one-stop-shop" where you can identify your Congressional representatives, research Congressional voting records, learn about the issues of the day, and send email directly to Congress.
Federal Election Commission administers and enforces the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA)—the statute that governs the financing of federal elections. The duties of the FEC, which is an independent regulatory agency, are to disclose campaign finance information, to enforce provisions of the law such as the limits and prohibitions on contributions, and to oversee the public funding of Presidential elections. The site includes information about elections and registering to vote.
Getvoting411 is one of the most comprehensive listings of U.S. federal, state, and local elections offices on the internet.
Project Vote Smart is a citizen's organization dedicated to serving all U.S. nationals with accurate and unbiased information for electoral decision-making. Project Vote Smart (PVS) provides a comprehensive database about thousands of candidates and elected officials for U.S. President, U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives, Governors, and State Legislatures. Less detailed information is available at the county and local level for each state.
The League of Women Voters of the United States is strictly nonpartisan and neither supports nor opposes candidates for office at any level of government. From its inception in 1920, the League of Women Voters has been a leading voice for change, strengthening the democratic system at every level of government.
8
Registering to Vote in the United States
Make a difference and get out and vote. You can register to vote online or offline, so sign up now!
Youth Vote Coalition is a national nonpartisan coalition of diverse organizations established to increase participation. They include detailed information about how to register to vote on their site.
Rock the Vote also allows you to register to vote online.
E-democracy has information on registering to vote online and off.
