Professor will compare U.S., Afghan elections

27 October 2008

Ask America webchat October 30 with Andrew Reynolds, Ph.D.

Online Forum Afghanistan continues with a comparison between elections in Afghanistan and elections in the United States. The upcoming presidential election in the United States has highlighted the underlying mechanisms involved in protecting voters' rights and preventing voter fraud. What are the differences between the election process in Afghanistan and the election process in the U.S.? What improvements can be made to guarantee free and fair elections in Afghanistan?

On October 30 at 7:30 a.m. EDT (11:30 GMT, 1600 Kabul), please join political science professor Andrew Reynolds to discuss how to improve elections in Afghanistan.

Andrew Reynolds is an associate professor of political science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His research and teaching focus on democratization, constitutional design and electoral politics.

He has worked for the United Nations, the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, the U.K. Department for International Development, the U.S. State Department, the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, the International Republican Institute, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe and the International Foundation for Election Systems.

He has also served as a consultant on issues of electoral and constitutional design for Afghanistan, Angola, Burma, Fiji, Guyana, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Liberia, Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles, Northern Ireland, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Yemen and Zimbabwe, most recently in Kabul reporting on election preparations in Afghanistan and in Rangoon, Burma.

If you would like to participate in this webchat, go to http://statedept.connectsolutions.com/afghanistan/. No registration is needed. Simply choose "Enter as a Guest," type in your preferred screen name, and join the discussion. We accept questions and comments in advance of, and at any time during, the program.

A transcript of this webchat will be available on Ask America’s webchat page, where information about upcoming webchats is also available.

The transcript from a previous Online Forum Afghanistan discussion, “Young Delegate Discusses Youth Vote in 2008 U.S. Elections,” with Kim Ahern, is available at http://www.america.gov/st/washfile-english/2008/October/20081027135543xjsnommis0.488949.html.