AEGEE Election Observation invites young people (between 18 and 30 years old) from all over Europe to sign up as Observers for our upcoming Election Observation Mission to the Parliamentary Election (Wybory Parlamentarne) the 13th of October 2019.
The mission runs from the 9th to 15th of October and will be deployed in Warsaw. Its purpose is to specifically assess the participation of youth in the electoral process.
As independent Observer at the AEGEE Election Observation Mission to Poland, successful applicants will receive training, complete specific research assignments, and then follow the voting, counting and tabulation procedures in various locations throughout the country on the day of elections. They will further meet with local, national and international political stakeholders, civil society organisations and youth representatives in Poland during the days prior to election day.
The observation of elections by independent observers contributes to the transparency of the process and is a valuable instrument of democratic control. The findings of the mission will be compiled into a report to be published after deployment and distributed amongst relevant authorities.
Mission Programme
Prior to arrival in Poland, observers will be required to:
- take an election observation training on the principles and methods of international election observation
- conduct background research and social media monitoring on a specific topic related to the participation, involvement and engagement of youth in the upcoming elections in Poland.
In Warsaw, between the 10th and 11th of October, observers will:
- take part in a briefing on the political situation of the country;
- attend various meetings with local officials, political stakeholders, experts, scholars and civil society representatives as well as, in particular, with youth organisations and youth activists in the country.
On the 12th of October, observers will:
- be deployed in different locations in Poland;
On the 13th of October (election day), observers will:
- visit a number of polling stations to observe the opening, voting and closing processes throughout the day, as well as the counting and tabulation processes later that evening.
On the day following election day, observers will:
- return to Warsaw to attend a debriefing, and
- discuss and summarise the findings of observations conducted with other observers and the Mission Coordinators.
Requirements
To become an international Short-Term Observer for AEGEE Election Observation, an applicant must:
- be between 18 and 30 years old;
- have a solid command of English;
- hold no citizenship of Poland. Please note that Polish nationals are not eligible to apply as international election observers for this mission. However, you can apply to support the mission as Local Coordinators;
- legally reside in a European country (geographically speaking, including Russia, Turkey, Caucasus). Please be advised that visa invitation letters can be issued for AEGEE members only;
- be available from September on to participate in an online training course on election observation and to conduct background research on the political situation of Poland as concerns youth;
- be fully available to travel to Poland and attend the entire deployment from 9th to 15th of October;
- be able to cover own costs*.
Experience from participating in election monitoring in the applicant’s home country, in a political party or in non-governmental organisations is desirable, but not required. AEGEE membership is a secondary criterion to be considered in case of doubt between otherwise equal applicants. Other skills, education or experience related to Poland, democracy systems or election observation are considered an asset.
Application procedure
Please fill in this application form. The application deadline is Tuesday, 10th of September, at 23:59 CET.
In case of questions, please contact Karolis Butkevičius, Mission Director, at karolisbutkev@gmail.com or Gianni Dibiase, AEGEE Election Observation Deputy Director, at gianni.dibiase@aegee.org.
AEGEE Election Observation looks forward to your application.
* In general, our Missions are organised on a 100% voluntary basis and do not involve any remuneration or reimbursement of travel and accommodation expenses. This applies to Mission Coordinators as well as members of the AEGEE Election Observation team.