The specific objectives of the Unit are to contribute to the modernization and the improvement of quality of the services given by electoral entities to the citizens, and to strengthen the institutional capacity to organize free and fair elections with transparency. The work of the Unit focuses on the cooperation in different areas such as reforms of the electoral legislation, management and certification of quality, institutional reinforcement, census update, modernization of the electoral registration, decentralization of the vote, and mechanisms of fiscalization and control of parties’ expenses.




Functions and Objectives

The specific objectives of the Unit are to contribute to the modernization and the improvement of quality of the services given by electoral entities to the citizens, and to strengthen the institutional capacity to organize free and fair elections with transparency. The work of the Unit focuses on the cooperation in different areas such as reforms of the electoral legislation, management and certification of quality, institutional reinforcement, census update, modernization of the electoral registration, decentralization of the vote, and mechanisms of fiscalization and control of parties’ expenses.

The mandate of the Unit is specified in the Chapter V, Article 23, of the Interamerican Democratic Charter. This article stipulate that: “Member States, in the exercise of their sovereignty, may request that the Organization of American States provide advisory services or assistance for strengthening and developing their electoral institutions and processes, including sending preliminary missions for that purpose”.

In practice, cooperation in these themes takes form in two modalities. First, the Unit dedicates itself to the development and the provision of direct consultancy, and to the technical cooperation provided to governments and the electoral entities of the hemisphere. Second, the Unit wants to strengthen the horizontal cooperation between the electoral entities of the region, being a facilitator and promoting a mutual learning with the exchange of information and experts.

Thematic Areas

The Unit of Technical Electoral Cooperation of the Department for Electoral Cooperation and Observation provide consultancy in these areas:

Electoral Computing: Design, support, consultancy and analysis of computing processes such as the design and the creation of computer systems, which includes transformations in the processes that improve the information and the control over the electoral census. Supporting the transmission of the results of the electoral processes by the assistance in electronic voting systems, the transmission of the results, and the presentation and publication of the electoral results.

Electoral Statistics: Coordination, stratification, realization, analysis of statistic samples, elaboration of reports of electoral census.

Registry/Electoral Census: Diagnosis of the quality of the information of the electoral registry. Integration of security mechanisms in the system of Civil Registry, its applications, database, networks, and telecommunications. Implementation of effective strategies that allow the data update, and the registration at the national level.

Decentralization of the Vote:  Analysis of the national plans of decentralization of the Juntas Receptoras de Votos and its application in the administrative structure, mainly in temporary electoral entities (Juntas Electorales Departamentales, Municipales y Receptoras de Votos). Elaboration of new electoral strategies that take into account the new challenges emerging from electoral reforms mainly on the decentralization theme.

Legislative Reform: Analysis of possible reforms of the Member States’ electoral law. Definition of the strategies and recommendations for the modernization of an electoral system.

Electoral Organization and Logistics: Consultancy and assistance to electoral entities in the organization of the electoral processes (electoral calendar), monitoring, and control of pre-electoral, electoral and post-electoral activities. Identification of technical and operative weaknesses that need electoral reforms for the organization of elections.

Electoral Administration: Technical diagnosis on the state and operation of the organizational and institutional outline of the electoral entities. Creation of strategies for the modernization and restructuration of the administration.

Management and Quality Certification in Electoral Processes: Systems for the management of quality and certification supported by the Norms ISO 9001:2000. Improvement of electoral registry systems with the identification, analysis and identification of critical processes for the improvement, the reengineering and the redesign of processes.

Promotion of Citizens’ Participation: Design and implementation of disclosure plans by the development of campaigns and training courses, information, motivation, and electoral education with the objective of motivating the citizens to exercise their civil rights. 

Horizontal Cooperation: Implementation of initiatives for the exchange of successful experiences in the electoral theme to allow an electoral institution to receive other electoral institutions with the envoy of group of experts who share their knowledge and provide support in different areas in need of technical assistance.