Original question:

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Posted on 2 March 2007
In general, it can be difficult to get international organisations to observe state elections as they will most often only send missions to national elections and referenda. The decision to send international electoral monitoring and supervision and other training and monitoring teams to one country for elections is normally taken by the international organisations themselves, following an invitation from the country holding elections. However, there are several ways CSOs can solicit the interest and involvement of international actors in elections; e.g. by contacting the election observation and training organisations directly (though in this case, time may be too short for them to be able to send a mission), approaching local offices of international organisations and donors and providing international media with video clips and information about the elections and the potential problems via e-mail.

In this specific case, some things that may be considered are:
- contacting the European Commission Delegation in Mexico http://www.delmex.cec.eu.int.
- contacting those in charge of the UNDP project in Mexico which aim at providing support to the electoral process both at federal and state level.
- consulting the NDI Handbook: How Domestic Organizations Monitor Elections: an A to Z Guide.
- contacting national electoral observation organisations like Poder Ciudadano or Alianza Civica.

Replies were received, with thanks, from: 

Andrea Malnati
Debashis Sen
Horacio Boneo

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Quote from the ACE Encyclopaedia on international observation:

Individual responses in full below:

The decision to send international electoral monitoring and supervision and other training and monitoring teams to one country for elections is normally taken by international organisations. In this case, I would suggest trying to contact the European Commission Delegation in Mexico (http://www.delmex.cec.eu.int), which could be helpful, at least to let you know if what you ask is feasible.

The other thing that might be quite effective would be to involve the international media. Coverage by CNN, BBC, Reuters etc keeps anti-democratic forces in check by invoking the pressure by the international community. And to get them involved, few video clips may perhaps be uploaded in popular websites like YouTube etc, followed by emails.

1)      There is a UNDP project in Mexico which aim at providing support to the electoral process both at federal and state level.  Dong Nguyen, a former senior adviser at the UN Electoral Division is in charge of the program, and I am sure that he and his team should be able to provide your network with support and advice, including suggestions as to potential international sources of support.  I am copying this answer to Dong – an old and dear friend.  The program has published an excellent multimedia CD on electoral observation that can be obtained free of charge from them.  You will find it particularly useful.

2)      You might also wish to consult a manual which was prepared about ten years ago by the National Democratic NDI Handbook: How Domestic Organizations Monitor Elections: an A to Z Guide.  You can find the full text as a pdf.file in www.accessdemocracy.org, as well as a large number of observation reports and other useful material.

3)      There are in Mexico some very experienced national electoral observation organizations, like Poder Ciudadano or Alianza Civica.  They can provide your group with significant support concerning observation methodology and observers’ training.

4)      I am not sure whether it will be easy to obtain international support for elections at State level (other than from the above mentioned UNDP project) as very few of the international organizations do observation at that level.  I do not think there is even enough time for organizing any relevant activity – international support takes more time than national.  I am not even sure that it would be particularly useful, as most of what you need in terms of technical support can be obtained from Mexican sources.  Perhaps you might invite a few distinguished international personalities to form part of your Board, as members of advisors and, depending on the choice, you might get significant press coverage.