Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs to Address I-VOTE Election Fellows from 73 Countries

Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs James K. Glassman will address about 100 international Election Fellows participating in I-VOTE 2008 (International Visitors Observe the Elections), on Monday, October 27, 2008, at 12:15 p.m. in the Benjamin Franklin Room of the Department of State.  Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs Goli Ameri will introduce the Under Secretary. The Election Fellows are emerging leaders who participate in promoting democracy in their countries. They are in the United States to observe the electoral process during the final countdown to Election Day 2008.  
 
I-VOTE is an exchange initiative of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ International Visitor Leadership Program. I-VOTE will immerse participants in national, state and local election processes by introducing them to election officials, political analysts, citizen activists, students, academics, voters and the candidates themselves for an increased understanding of the U.S. political system. The Election Fellows will gain insights through professional programs in Washington, DC, and in one of five battleground or swing states: Colorado, Florida, Minnesota, Missouri, or Ohio.  On Election Day, they will observe activities in other communities across the nation.  They will reunite November 5 in Boston at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government for a symposium to analyze the outcomes and ramifications of the elections, as well as to share their program experiences and insights.