We are pleased to announce the launch of the latest episode of the Votes & Ballots Podcast, with our Founder and Executive Director, Fabio Bargiacchi.

Votes & Ballots Podcast, by Daniel Stefanov, is the first podcast about elections around the world, available on all major platforms, which treats a wide range of current electoral issues, by interviewing important stakeholders at the global level, as experts from OSCE, International IDEA, IFES or EEAS.

The biggest challenge these days is for the EMB and other electoral actors to maintain confidence in the elections, to be seen as independent and neutral. "

Regarding the impact of new technologies on elections, the Founder of ECES, Fabio Bargiacchi stressed that:

In principle, if well used, technology can bring cost-effectiveness and transparency and level playing ground. If ill-used​ it brings exactly the contrary - opacity, political parties not trusting the process, and conflict. The use   of technology in an electoral process is strictly linked to trust enjoyed by the Election management body, and what is the perception of trust that the electorate have in this use of technology”

In order to overcome these challenges, the discussions revolve around electoral expertise and the major importance of implementing electoral assistance in a timely, appropriate and efficient manner, through the different methodologies and strategies created and copyrighted by ECES.

Electoral assistance target is the proper management of relations between all electoral stakeholders. For this reason ECES created the European Response to Electoral Cycle Support – EURECS. The strategy is an innovative delivery mechanism to implement electoral and democracy assistance activities that are consistent with European values and EU policies.”

 

Find the full discussion of the Votes & Ballots Podcast by following the link: