One of my favorite things about working the the Foreign Service is the opportunity to do things on behalf of my country but not necessarily related to medical work. Case and point, this past month I was given the opportunity to represent our country as an election observer for the national elections Mauritania had on May 14th.

When an officer from our political section asked if I would be willing to be an election observer, I jumped at the opportunity. For one, I really love world affairs and have been fascinated by Mauritanian politics, and two, MED folks don’t get a lot of chances to do things for the mission this far removed from their actual job, which makes it a nice looking feather in the cap for annual evaluations. SIGN ME UP!

Prior to heading out on election day, we were given a pretty in depth training on what exactly we should be observing, which unto itself was a fascinating experience. Although since its founding, Mauritania has been riddled with coups, over the last decade+, stable transitions of power have been observed with relative peace. I can say I observed the same thing during my time monitoring the election.

Although the election seemed to go off without a hitch, it definitely wasn’t an easy process. Voting requirements are strict, needing multiple forms of ID plus registration, and you can’t do any of it online. Even once you go vote, that process is pretty intense. Voters were given 6 different color ballots full of candidates for various national and local election. Had to make their decision from these long lists, then turn their ballots into the right ballot box, which corresponded to the color of the ballot. After, they marked you finger in some serious ink, to show you had voted, preventing repeat voting.

After seeing this process unfold, I have a lot of respect for our own election system. It isn’t perfect, but it is definitely easier than trying to vote in Mauritania. Overall though, the election workers and the voters we interviewed were all quite enthusiastic and it was a great experience watching it unfold with minimal irregularities reported. One of the key elements of our mission is assisting Mauritania’s democracy in an effort to promote greater regional security in the Sahel, and I am glad to say, I was able to contribute, if even in a small way. –Nick