TO: Administrator Samantha Power

FROM: Kristin Lord, President & CEO of IREX, and Chair of the ACVFA Sub-Committee on Democracy and Anti-Corruption

RE: Recommendations to Strengthen USAID's Strategy for Supporting Global Elections in 2024

In 2024, USAID has an unparalleled opportunity to advance the cause of democracy around the world. 
To support the Agency in doing this, ACVFA is pleased to present the following paper, which recommends steps USAID can take to support free, credible, and inclusive elections globally. We endorse USAID’s new policy framework focused on Driving Progress Beyond Programs, and recommend the 2024 elections as an ideal opportunity to adopt this approach.

The stakes are high. Elections are planned in more than 60 countries, representing half the global population and economy. While USAID has long supported credible elections around the world, the urgency of 2024 demands an even more proactive and comprehensive approach. The 2024 elections will take place in the context of a 17-year trend of democratic backsliding and unprecedented levels of manipulative information, some of it proliferated by foreign governments, both online and in traditional media.  

The ACVFA Sub-Committee on Democracy and Anti-Corruption highlights key dynamics to watch for as well as strategic opportunities we hope USAID will seize. These include opportunities to build stronger habits of civic participation, engage youth, and strengthen support for independent media. 

ACVFA recommends specific actions to support credible elections in 2024 (see additional details further down in the paper):

  • Mobilize USAID to prepare for 2024 elections around the world
  • Mobilize bilateral, multilateral, philanthropic, business, and civic organizations worldwide to support democratic elections globally in 2024
  • Support robust long-term, independent observation of elections (including of the information environment), particularly by nonpartisan civic groups and reinforced by international observation
  • Prioritize voter education, digital literacy, and resilience to manipulative information
  • Encourage youth engagement and build long-term habits of civic engagement
  • Increase support to independent media
  • Promote inclusion of women and marginalized populations
  • Create, leverage, and support platforms and networks for transnational learning
  • Enhance responses to closing civic space
  • Invest in countering foreign malign influence in elections
  • Support greater transparency regarding digital platforms and their roles during election periods
  • Provide tools and resources to USAID missions in addressing AI-enabled information manipulation
  • Plan now for the post-election period; conduct scenario planning for various contingencies
  • Evaluate and build the long-term infrastructure to support future elections

It is our privilege to collaborate with USAID to support the integrity, inclusiveness, and credibility of the 2024 elections. Please let us know if we can provide further insight and support. We gratefully acknowledge the contributions of ACVFA Chair Paul Weisenfeld, members of the ACVFA subcommittee on democracy and anti-corruption, USAID colleagues, and many organizations and individual contributors; details are included at the end of this report.