Week 11, Conclusion: My Last Days with IFES and the Center for Anti-Corruption & Democratic Trust
That work began with ASR. After devoting a large chunk of time to this last week, this week began with a final push to complete my list. Some searches took much longer than others, and I’m sure that edits will be made, but this week I did finally send off a list of 100 examples of abuse of state resources. These 100 examples, as you might expect, covered a variety of topics: keep an eye out for publications from IFES to see all about how government money and resources can be misused to prop up candidates in elections!
After wrapping up the ASR project, I devoted myself to researching the penalties for vote buying in roughly twenty countries. As was standard, some countries took mere minutes, while others took significantly longer. Again though, by the end of the week, I’d sent off my research. I attempted every country, and in the handful of examples where I was unable to track down the specific law, I at least left notes: “I think this database should produce some results; may need help translating—Google translate isn’t working for me here,” etc. Another project down!
I turned back to the Nigerian presidential election petitions; I did a little more research here, reading Nigerian news articles to make sure I understood the process so far for each petition. I used that research to polish my summaries so far. Again, keep an eye out for IFES’ take on the results in September!
The final project I tackled this summer was the judicial curriculum modules. Wanting to ensure that nothing slipped through the cracks, I circled back to module 1 and worked my way through every remaining comment. Again, if I wasn’t able to answer a question, I at least made a note. If a handout needed major work, I left an outline where IFES staff would hopefully be able to use my notes but still be able to steer the curriculum in the direction they prefer.
I ended my time at IFES by emailing a few in-progress case summaries from the ElectionJudgments database to my William & Mary email address. I would lose sleep if I left these untouched, so I hope to work on these in any free time in the days after the end of my internship.
This week my immediate supervisor also treated me to coffee in a restaurant on the first floor of the building that houses IFES. We discussed the good and the bad aspects of being in law school, traveling, and our experiences with foreign languages. The ability to meet so many talented and dedicated people who share so many of my interests has been, I think, the best part of this experience.
I also met virtually with the other IFES interns on my last day, and I’ve actually been invited to another meeting taking place after I leave. I’ll definitely be joining!
As I end this last blog, I have several people to thank for my incredible experience at IFES. I need to thank Professor Warren at William & Mary for the work she puts into the international internship program. It is no overstatement to say that these opportunities change lives.
At IFES, I need to thank Chad Vickery, Erica Shein, Typhaine Roblot, Uchechi Anyanwu, Richard Nash, Catherine Murphy, Magnus Ohman, and Chelsea Dreher. Each of you went out of your way to make me feel welcome and included—your kindness did not go unnoticed.
I need to especially thank Jordan Shipley for being a constant source of guidance and encouragement. My mistakes were met with patience, and my successes were met with gratitude for my work. You can’t really ask for more in a workplace environment.
Finally, to IFES generally, I want to thank everyone for the work they do. The prospect of pushing for democratic ideals around the world can be overwhelming at times, with strongmen and military coups and dictatorships filling the headlines. Workers like the staff at IFES take that frustration and channel it into their work. They are creative and caring and strong-willed. Despite the headlines, I feel better about the world knowing that organizations like IFES exist. It has been so rewarding to be a small drop in the ocean of activity pushing for freedom and transparency in governments around the world. So thank you, IFES. Sorry I drank so much of your peppermint tea.
Weekend events: Moved back to Williamsburg and worked (extensively) on my first cite check for the Business Law Review at William & Mary