USEP, with the support of the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), traditionally brings together hundreds of election experts around the world to personally witness the US election and inform the general public about the electoral process. This year, due to quarantine restrictions, USEP had become virtual, so IFES had brought together more participants than ever before, making it possible to join the observation of the 2020 presidential election process online in real time.
From October 27 to November 4, Vladyslav Zavhorodnia, Head of the International, European, and Сivil Law Department, and International Law bachelor program students Tamara Baranyuk, Andriy Kasyan, Ilona Panchenko, and Milan Stepka took part in virtual events of the US 2020 Election Program (USEP 2020).
The program provided an opportunity to engage in expert discussions on the most pressing issues related to the election – both purely specific to the United States (eg, postal voting, two-stage elections) and important for all countries (youth involvement, inclusion, challenges, related to COVD-19). Participants had the opportunity to ask questions to experts, express their opinions, visit virtual tours of polling stations during the voting on November 4 and at the Microsoft office (Microsoft supports the program to protect democracy by digital means), as well as attend an online panel discussion “US presidential election – lessons for Ukraine.”
The program has not only become a source of new knowledge, but also provided invaluable communication experience in an international expert environment. According to the results of the program, participants who attended all virtual events received the appropriate certificates. In addition, our students became the Official Ambassadors of IFES Youth Ukraine at this event.
