One of the signature achievements in Latin America since the return of democracy beginning in the 1980s was the guarantee of free and fair elections, organized by competent and independent authorities. Though the region has long struggled to strengthen its democratic institutions, the reliability of elections, a democratic cornerstone, has rarely been questioned. Unfortunately, that is no longer true. Today, Latin Americans have largely lost faith in elections. 

This year, Latin America has held presidential elections in El Salvador, Panama, the Dominican Republic, and Mexico, and Uruguayans will go to the polls in October. With confidence in electoral institutions averaging 31% in 2020, electoral authorities face daunting challenges in rebuilding public trust, including tight budgets, politically motivated criticism, antiquated electoral technologies, imperfect campaign finance systems, and disinformation.  

Please join the Wilson Center’s Latin America Program on Wednesday, June 12, 2024, from 10:00am to 11:30am ET, to discuss the challenges Latin America’s election systems face, the lessons learned from recent elections in the region, and opportunities to reassure voters in the region of the credibility of elections and the democratic legitimacy of the winners. 

This is the first event of a new Latin America Program special initiative designed to identify best practices and produce recommendations to strengthen election management and increase public confidence in elections at a time of democratic backsliding in the region.