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Ms. Tatevik Ohanyan, Member of the Central Electoral Commission of Armenia

Mr. J. Bradley King, Co-Director of Indiana Election Division

“Promotion of effective election administration: exchange of best practices between the United States and

Armenia”

The project started on the 8th of July when our American counterparts, Mr. J. Bradley King, Co-Director of Indiana Election

Division, Mrs. Valerie Kroeger, Communication Director of Indiana Secretary of State and Mr. David Warycha, Technology

specialist of Indiana House of Representatives, arrived in Yerevan. Though it was early in the morning and they were exhausted after

a long flight, this fact couldn’t anyhow overshadow the enthusiasm and high expectations of the project ahead. The photo speaks for

itself

In the afternoon the guests got acquainted with the jewelry of Armenian architecture, strolling the streets of Yerevan.

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The evening was spent in a lovely restaurant with traditional food and national music. I assume the guests enjoyed the rich and

mellifluous voice of the singer

A short walk along the streets of night Yerevan concluded the first day of the visit.

The first official meeting was scheduled with the Deputy Head of the Police of Armenia, Police Major-General Mr. Arthur Osikyan,

and the Head of Passport and Visa department of the Police of Armenia Mr. Norayr Muradkhanyan.

The Voter Register of Armenia is maintained and the list of voters compiled by Passport and Visa Department of the Police of

Armenia. The main topic of the meeting was the procedure of compilation of Voter Lists in Armenia and the US. The interlocutors

tried to find some similarities and identify differences between the countries in compilation of lists of voters. One of the differences

pertains to the way the voters are registered. Unlike the United States, Armenia implements a passive voter registration system; the

Voter Register of Armenia is a permanently maintained document and is based on the State Population Register of Armenia. Mr.

Osikyan underlined that the accuracy of voter lists is maintained by a number of mechanisms. Particularly, twice a year it is

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submitted to the Central Electoral Commission of Armenia as per communities and in the case of national elections also as per

electoral precincts at least 41 days prior to the voting day. The Voter Register is an indispensable part of the website of the Central

Electoral Commission of Armenia, and anyone at any time can check his inclusion in the list of voters and the accuracy of its data.

Mr. Muradkhanyan underscored the level of transparency and publicity secured by the authorities: after the amendments to the

electoral legislation during the national elections and elections of the Yerevan Council of Aldermen, 40 days and two days prior to

the voting day VL are posted on the Internet as per electoral precincts in a downloadable version so that anyone, in case of any

inaccuracies, could apply for eliminating those.

Mr. King was pleased by the level of publicity and the way the VL are maintained for ensuring their accuracy and flawlessness. In

his turn, Mr. King introduced the process of registering the voters, particularly the Indiana Statewide Voter Registration System

(SVRS). It was mentioned that since January 2006, the State of Indiana has maintained a single, uniform electronic database

containing the voter registration records for all of Indiana's 92 counties. The SVRS is linked to the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles

database and the Social Security Administration database to help verify voter registration application. The system also exchanges

data with the Indiana Department of Health and Department of Correction to assist local election officials in their efforts to remove

deceased and incarcerated voters convicted of crimes. He also touched upon the controversial issue of voting with photo IDs,

mentioning that the state law of Indiana requires the voters to show a photo ID before signing a poll list and casting a ballot. If the

voter doesn’t have his photo ID with him, he may still vote by “provisional ballot”.

At the end of the meeting two sides thanked each other for the informative and productive discussion.

The night of July 9 made us recall the time when we were students at the university. Mr. King expatiated on the overview of the U.S.

electoral system, Electoral College, campaign finance regulations in the US, federal disclosure requirements, the role of Supreme

Court, etc., giving a fantastic lecture at the American University of Armenia. We were happy to discover what cultivated, well

informed and erudite students attended the lecture. Judging by the length of Q&A session, it was obvious that the students were very

interested and impressed by Mr. King’s lecture.

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The day was full of cultural events: tour to Yerevan Ararat Brandy-Wine-Vodka Factory…

Tsitsernakaberd (Swallow’s fortress), a memorial dedicated to the

victims of the Armenian Genocide.

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There were two very fruitful meetings with the Chair of the Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs of the National

Assembly of Armenia Mr. Harutyunyan and the Chairman of the Central Electoral Commission of Armenia Mr. Mukuchyan. Spheres

of activities of the Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs of the National Assembly of Armenia include, inter

alia, constitutional amendments and electoral system, whereas the Central Electoral Commission of Armenia deals with organizing

the elections and overseeing the legality thereof.

The meetings touched upon the present challenges of the electoral processes in general, and the adjudication of election complaints in

particular. The hosting bodies were interested in the way the complaints of frivolous nature were dealt with by the EMB of Indiana,

in what manner the complaints filed on one and the same subject were considered. Mr. King presented Indiana model of dealing with

those complaints. Notably, in the State of Indiana the complaint is first reviewed by the staff of the EMB. If the staff finds the

complaint to raise a valid legal issue, if true, then it goes to the session of the EMB where the challengers have the opportunity to

present their case. Before proceeding to the challengers’ presentations, the Chair of the Commission has the right to set a certain time

limit for each challenger’s case presentation. Accordingly, each case should be presented in no more than 5 minutes. Additionally,

the challengers should not repeat the facts already presented by previous ones, and should add only new information. This is a sound

mechanism for more effective and functioning process of election complaints adjudication.

The head of the Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs Mr. Harutyunyan acknowledged that this procedure of grievance

remedy could serve as a good example for Armenia where the electoral legislation requires each complaint to be considered at the

session of the CEC thus providing the complainants a loophole to file hundreds of complaints of the same content and nature

ultimately aiming to paralyze the regular activities of the EMB.

The parties also elaborated on the subjects related to the role of election observation missions, the public awareness raising

mechanisms in further maintaining public confidence towards electoral processes. The American counterparts were pleased by the

number of printed and video materials aimed at raising the public awareness and ensuring the voting rights of voters with visual

impairment.

At the end of the meetings the sides reiterated their willingness to continue their cooperation in the future as well.

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To our great dismay, Mr. Bradley King had serious health problems and his condition deteriorated when the cultural part of the

project kicked off; he was transported to a hospital and was taken good care of till his departure. Unfortunately, this unforeseen

situation prevented both me and Mr. King from meeting with the US Ambassador to the Republic of Armenia Mr. John A. Heffern.

But Valerie and David met him and later expressed their excitement about the discussion they had with the Ambassador. Thank God,

Mr. King arrived home safe and soundly and has already got back to work.

Nonetheless, Mr. King was still lucky enough to visit main sights of Yerevan and enjoy national music and food…

One of the hallmarks of the program was the visit to Synergy International Systems Yerevan Office. This is a global information

technology and international development consulting firm with headquarter in Washington, D.C.

Mr. Arshak Hovanesian, Business Development Manager, described the company’s areas of expertise. For more than 15 years,

Synergy solutions have been implemented in over 50 countries, in collaboration with country governments, multilateral and bilateral

development organizations, NGOs, and private sector partners. Synergy supports these organizations in achieving development

results through flexible, customized information systems which enable insightful, data-driven decisions. The core expertise is in

monitoring and evaluation (M&E), aid coordination, court case management systems (CCMS) bolstering rule of law and judicial

reform, public financial management (PFM), disaster relief and reconstruction, education, and public health.

David and Valerie were very pleased about this opportunity and expressed their gratitude for organizing such a unique and

informative tour to one of the biggest US IT firms in Armenia.

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Besides all these official meetings, we all had unforgettable time travelling through Armenia and discovering its treasures…

Mother Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin, a 4th-century Armenian church in the town of Ejmiatsin, the oldest state-built church in the

world. It is also the central cathedral of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

Etchmiadzin Cathedral is listed among the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Lake Sevan, Sevanavank monastery

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Garni Temple, the only pagan temple in the Caucasus, built in the first century A.D. by the Armenian King Tiridates

Monastery of Geghard, a unique architectural construction, being partially carved out of the adjacent mountain, surrounded by

cliffs. It is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The monastery complex was founded in the 4th century by Gregory the

Illuminator.

All these photos are the evidence of unforgettable time and a lot of fresh and happy memories that will always remind each of us

about July of the summer 2013. Thank you all for making this happen!