Haitian-American Wyclef Jean’s failed bid to become the next president of Haiti helped bring international attention to the country’s electoral process.
But since the hip-hop star’s exit from the race, Haiti’s elections have fallen out of the mainstream spotlight. Beyond Jean, there are many reasons why we should all be concerned about Haiti’s historic election this Sunday.
The continuing crisis since the January 12th earthquake poses great challenges as the country prepares to conduct what some would consider the most important elections in Haiti’s recent history. All efforts should be made to ensure that eligible voters are able to easily and freely cast their ballots.
Certainly, the experience in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina provides a number of lessons that may be instructive as the country braces for Sunday’s elections.
First, recognizing that 1.5 million voters in Haiti remain displaced as a result of the earthquake is key. Following Katrina, tens of thousands of voters were displaced in states all throughout the country when the city moved forward with elections for a new mayor and other key city positions. Litigation helped secure satellite voting centers around the state of Louisiana that made participation easier for those who could not physically return to New Orleans to cast ballots. However, out-of-state satellite centers would likely have allowed an even greater number of voters to participate. Haitian officials should ensure that all of the country’s 11,000 voting stations can serve as places where displaced voters can cast their ballots.
Second, any purging of the registration rolls should be carried out with an abundance of caution. While 300,000 people were killed in the quake that devastated Haiti, many victims remain unidentified and unaccounted for. Yet, about 200,000 names have been removed from the rolls since the quake. Purging the voter rolls under such circumstances risks disenfranchising eligible voters who survived the quake. In New Orleans, an annual canvass of the registration rolls was suspended following Katrina to help prevent the risk that displaced voters might be removed from the rolls. Haiti, too, should take every precaution to ensure that eligible voters who survived the quake will be able to cast their ballot this Sunday.
Third, ensuring that non-partisan and neutral observers are able to freely access polling sites and monitor the final election tally will help foster confidence in the integrity of the process. The Joint Electoral Observation Mission, an effort of the Organization of American States, and the Caribbean Community of Nations will have a number of observers deployed around the country and it is estimated that there will be between 5,000 and 7,000 Haitian electoral observers at polling sites. But these numbers may not be enough to cover all 11,000 voting stations.
Following Katrina, non-partisan election observers were dispatched to polling sites all throughout New Orleans and played a key role in safeguarding the rights of voters. Monitors were able to resolve problems that emerged given the large number of poll workers serving for the first time and confusion that resulted from the large number of damaged and destroyed polling sites. In some instances, new poll workers turned to well-trained monitors for guidance and support. Haiti should continue to work to recruit and train a sufficient number of monitors to ensure that every polling site is adequately covered.
Finally, providing a range of opportunities for voters to cast ballots will be key. In Louisiana, deadlines and restrictions on absentee voting were relaxed following Katrina and voters were permitted to return ballots by fax. Similarly, Haiti should consider whether absentee and early voting opportunities are both available and structured in a way that allows displaced voters a meaningful chance to cast their ballot — should in-person voting on Sunday prove too difficult.
There are certainly other challenges that the country faces going into Sunday including issues stemming from the recent cholera outbreak, concerns that Haiti’s Provision Electoral Council disqualified candidates from more than a dozen political parties and fears that violence seen in previous elections may appear again. However, these elections are arguably the most important in Haiti’s recent history. The new political leadership that emerges will help change the face of Haiti and have the chance to lead the country through a period of redevelopment and reconstruction that may transform this poor country into a vibrant and thriving nation.