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An observer ensures a free and fair vote at the Jabalia polling station
Putting an End to Illegal Campaigning
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Photo: Tamkeen
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"I learned from the election observation training conducted by USAID that campaigning on election day is illegal, and that I have the right to file a complaint with the polling station manager," said Mu'taz. "After that, the voting process got calmer and more transparent."
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On January 9, the day Palestinians took to the polls to elect a new leader, Mu'taz Abu-Eljedian,
a 23-year-old computer programmer and volunteer election observer, put an end to illegal campaigning
at a Gaza polling station.
Mu'taz learned how to monitor elections from an organization that received training from USAID
on election observation. As he was watching the voting process at a polling station in Jabalia
refugee camp, Mu'taz noticed people pursuing voters and asking them to cast their ballots for a
specific candidate — a practice forbidden by Palestinian electoral rules.
Mu'taz filed a complaint with the polling station manager, who asked Palestinian police to
intervene. Two policemen stepped in and asked anyone engaged in campaigning activities to exit
the polling station. They did, and voting proceeded without a hitch.
"I learned from the election observation training conducted by USAID that campaigning on election
day is illegal, and that I have the right to file a complaint with the polling station manager,"
said Mu'taz. "After that, the voting process got calmer and more transparent."
USAID trained nearly 120 observers from 13 organizations on how to mount election observation campaigns - from the basics of training and fielding monitors to the complex procedures that should be observed. In turn, they trained hundreds of grassroots volunteers who fanned out across polling stations in the West Bank and Gaza to monitor the voting process.
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