"At Transparencia Electoral, we are deeply committed to promoting democracy globally, ensuring integrity, and fostering best practices in electoral administration," said Eduardo Repilloza, Executive Director of Transparencia Electoral.
Following the U.S. elections on November 5, a delegation from Transparencia Electoral—a nonprofit organization that promotes democratic values and actions to support elections held to internationally recognized integrity standards—visited Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business (MSB) and the Latin America Leadership Program (LALP) to participate in a discussion on the elections and electoral analysis.
Transparencia Electoral operates in several countries across the Americas, with programs aimed at exposing threats to democratic systems, improving electoral processes, and training election officials, political party members, and civil society organizations on best practices in elections. On this occasion, the invited delegation was accredited by Montgomery County in Maryland as part of the international election observer group for the electoral process.
Eduardo Repilloza, Executive Director of Transparencia Electoral, explained that the visit sought to foster an academic understanding of the U.S. electoral system and learn about its processes, while also formulating recommendations to facilitate an exchange of practices that could enhance both the U.S. system and electoral systems in Latin America.
According to Repilloza, one of the most notable aspects of the Montgomery County process was the advanced use of technology at every electoral stage. "In Latin America, we don’t have access to this type of technology, so it was valuable to see how it streamlines the process and to identify best practices to strengthen security guarantees in electoral processes across the region."
He also noted that Brazil has had its own publicly developed electoral technology for many years, managed by the Supreme Electoral Court. In contrast, the experience of observing Maryland's use of privately managed electoral technology offered valuable insight into both approaches.
The mission’s participants included national and local authorities from electoral institutes and courts, magistrates, academic experts, consultants, and lawyers specializing in electoral matters. “It was a highly diverse group bringing a variety of experiences and perspectives, enriching the exchange fostered by our organization.”
Following this participation and additional meetings at the White House, coordinated with Facundo Robles – MPP, the delegation visited MSB. Professor Ricardo Ernst, Executive Director of LALP, welcomed the participants, who had the opportunity to learn more about the initiative and its goal of training leaders in the region through programs such as GCL, ILG, GBEL, and custom programs.
During the visit, the delegation participated in a session with Professors Michael Shifter and Juan Luis Manfredi, who shared their perspectives on the elections, the new administration, and its impact both domestically and on Latin America and the world regarding issues like immigration, the economy, and international relations.
