University of the West Indies (UWI) Lecturer to Observe U.S. Electoral System Firsthand in I-VOTE 2008 Initiative

KINGSTON, Jamaica – This year is an exciting one in U.S. politics with global attention on the American electoral process, particularly the presidential campaigns.

One Jamaican, Dr. Lloyd Waller, lecturer in the Department of Government at the University of the West Indies, Mona campus has been selected by the U.S. embassy in Kingston to experience first hand, the U.S. democratic process through I-VOTE 2008 (International Visitors Observe The Election).

Dr. Lloyd Waller
The exchange initiative is sponsored by the U.S Department of State and administered through the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy.

Dr. Waller, who lectures in research methods for political science, is among 100 Election Fellows from 76 countries around the world who have been handpicked by U.S. ambassadors to participate in I-VOTE 2008. Between October 26 and November 8, he and his counterparts, who are involved in promoting democracy in their countries, will observe the U.S. political system during the final countdown to Election Day 2008.

The Election Fellows will gain insights through professional programs in Washington D.C. and in one of five battleground or swing states: Colorado, Florida, Minnesota, Missouri and Ohio. I-VOTE will 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.

In Washington, DC, as part of their orientation to the U.S. political process, the Election Fellows will hear from Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs Goli Ameri, former Republican National Committee Chairman Frank Fahrenkopf, former Democratic Congressman and governor Jim Blanchard, Politico Managing Editor Bill Nichols, CEO of Burson-Marsteller and advisor and polling analyst Mark Penn, Washington Post columnist David Ignatius, and Founder and CEO of Politics-360 Greg Fawcett. At Gallup’s World Poll Conference Center, the Fellows will have an insider’s view of the world of political polling from Gallup Poll Editor Frank Newport and other experts.

After visits to one of five battleground or swing states, the Election Fellows will travel in teams of two to follow Election Day activities in fifty other U.S. communities, to observe voting and engage informally with voters. Scheduled and spontaneous venues will include campaign events, town hall meetings, briefings on voter registration procedures and rules governing polling places, and meetings with campaign workers involved in operating phone banks, leafleting, and coordinating transportation to polling stations.

On November 5, the Election Fellows will reunite in Boston, Massachusetts for a symposium at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, to analyze the outcomes and ramifications of the presidential and congressional election as well as to share their program experiences and insights.