J.11 Quarterly Reports, Objective 4, SPPG.pdf

CEPPS Quarterly Reports

Supporting Political Pluralism and Good Governance Processes in BiH, Award No.

72016819LA00001

September 30, 2019 – September 29, 2023

Objectives of the activity:

Objective 1: To strengthen parties, coalitions, and candidates’ capacity to respond to citizen interests in advance of the 2020 municipal and 2022 general elections.

Objective 2: Improve governance through policy-driven technical assistance to parties, coalitions, caucuses, and elected officials at various levels of government.

Objective 3: Enhance skills and capacity of young political actors to take a more visible role in deepening democratic values of BiH society.

Objective 4: Support to free and fair election processes.

Quarterly Report: January 1, 2020 to March 31, 2020

CEPPS/IFES continues to provide key support to the CEC ahead of upcoming local elections anticipated in October 2020. While progress on the objectives of this program has slowed due to challenges related to the outbreak of COVID-19 and the change in composition of the CEC, CEPPS/IFES is quickly working to identify mitigation measures and employ innovative solutions to maintain program continuity.

Currently, CEPP/IFES is making progress toward program objectives on three fronts, primarily via virtual means. First, CEPPS/IFES is working remotely with the CEC to deliver recommendations on Abuse of

State Resources (ASR) definitions, in line with international good practices. The delivery of this activity will allow the CEC to adjust its organizational procedures and oversight regulations to align them with international standards.

As discussed above, CEPPS/IFES is also developing an adapted cyber-hygiene awareness course to deliver to the CEC, focused on needs identified in the Cybersecurity and Elections Assessment of BiH.

Delivering this course will provide the CEC with the tools and knowledge needed to strengthen its own cybersecurity, which in turn will benefit the cybersecurity of the election process in BiH as a whole.

Finally, the development of the methodology for the planned disinformation threat mitigation strategy planning is underway, which will form the baseline of the exercise to be completed with the CEC and the follow-up training on electoral disinformation and online harassment. These activities will support the

CEC in its efforts to address threats related to information integrity.

Quarterly Report: April 1, 2020 to June 30, 2020

Objective 4: Support to free and fair election processes

While activities this quarter were complicated by the COVID-19 and election budget challenges, CEPPS/IFES delivered key assistance to support a free and fair election process. The recommendations issued to the CEC on the conduct of elections during the pandemic were integral in the CEC’s final decision-making process. Nearly all of CEPPS/IFES recommendations were accepted, and the instructions were formally announced to the public in the BiH Official Gazette (41/20). With elections still months away, this allows the proper time for voters, poll workers, election administrators and observers to become familiar with the updated procedures and mitigation measures, which is important to not only inform citizens of the changes, but also increase their confidence in safely participating in the elections. Over the course of the next quarter, CEPPS/IFES will work with the CEC to continue this proactive COVID-19 mitigation trend, as well as strengthen the institution’s capacity in cybersecurity and information integrity, which is ever more important as the world moves toward online election campaigns amidst the pandemic’s restrictions on in-person campaign events.

Quarterly Report: July 1, 2020 to September 30, 2020

Objective 4: Support to free and fair election processes

While a number of hindrances and political challenges were posed during this year, CEPPS/IFES was able to launch multiple initiatives and begin engagement of the CEC along program service lines. These initiatives are each new avenues of assistance provided to the CEC, for which no prior support had been provided in previous programs. These initiatives largely center around the growing reliance on technology and efforts to digitize governance in BiH, consisting of strengthening system integrity, developing online learning capabilities and addressing electoral disinformation and hate speech, especially in the online environment. Over the course of the project year, CEPPS/IFES worked diligently with the CEC when time and resources allowed to coordinate and plan for assistance activities and strategies. By developing these action-oriented efforts in conjunction with the CEC, CEPPS/IFES has charted a path forward for the post-election period in BiH, as well as identified key spaces for support and technical guidance throughout the life of the program. Such efforts emphasize the modernization of the electoral process while building measures to protect it as BiH advances toward continued reform and EU accession.

In addition to launching these initiatives, CEPPS/IFES also provided technical expertise in advising the

CEC, particularly as it related to the COVID-19 pandemic. As the CEC prepared for the November 2020 local elections, it sought input on revised instructions for poll workers and polling stations in light of the

COVID-19 pandemic. Using its research and thought leadership expertise, CEPPS/IFES provided extensive guidance on the instructions and offered further recommendations based on emerging good practices on election administration during a pandemic. These recommendations were accepted by the

CEC and integrated into the final instructions, which were published in the BiH Official Gazette during the quarter. This effort demonstrates CEPPS/IFES and the CEC’s close coordination and trust to develop and implement activities designed to strengthen the electoral process to international standards and to meet voters’ expectations for a level playing field.

Sub-Objective 4.1: Electoral framework and processes are improved and strengthened.

As the window for activities ahead of the 2020 local elections quickly narrowed, CEPPS/IFES and its local partner pushed forward the e-learning platform for the CEC, which was drafted and tested by the

CEC during this quarter.

The e-learning platform pilot module for poll worker trainings was developed and uploaded to the platform by the CEC with support from CEPPS/IFES.

Sub-Objective 4.2: The CEC’s capacity is strengthened to fulfill its mandate professionally and transparently.

Following the completion and analysis of the public opinion survey related to information integrity in the

BiH electoral process, key findings were collected to inform the CEC’s approach to addressing information challenges ahead of the 2020 local elections.

Quarterly Report: October 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020

With consideration of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, support to free and fair election processes is especially critical to overcome challenges that threaten the safety and integrity of elections in BiH. During the quarter, CEPPS/IFES provided technical guidance to the CEC specifically around potential COVID-

19 impacts to the 2020 local elections. With the help of CEPPS/IFES expertise and shared international standards and practices, the CEC received resources and experiences to draw upon when making decisions in promotion of a genuine and democratic electoral process. This assistance contributed to the overall successful administration of local elections in BiH in line with global good practices when faced with unforeseen circumstances due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as evidenced by citizen observer reports.

Sub-Objective 4.1: Electoral framework and processes are improved and strengthened.

Activity 4.1.5: Developing an E-Learning Platform for the CEC

At the time of this report, nearly 1,500 citizens had registered for the e-learning platform, with more than

750 of them completing one or more of the chapters in the online poll worker training module, including

383 women. The graph below illustrates the breakdown between number of module chapters completed by users in each respective national language.

With the launch of the e-learning platform in general, the CEC, electoral stakeholders and the public now have access to a tool specifically designed with improving electoral process education. While the long-term use of the platform is still in the planning stages, the tool remains an innovative and cost-effective one, focused on building access and transparency within BiH’s electoral process. Further, the demonstrated interest by users who registered for the training in the first months of the launch reflects the eager nature of BiH citizens to learn more about elections in their country and in public service generally.

The number of users who completed the online poll worker training module shows potential for a wider pool of poll workers, especially with remote learning opportunities increasing access to resources complementary to the poll worker recruitment and training process.

With CEPPS/IFES support both financially and technically, the CEC was able to offer this innovative tool in BiH elections and showcase publicly its commitment to transparent and democratic electoral processes, as well as demonstrate its efforts to involve more voters in the election process itself, directly as poll workers. This progress is critical to strengthening the electoral framework and process in BiH as well as instilling greater ownership of the process by ordinary citizens.

Quarterly Report: January 1, 2021 to March 31, 2021

Public trust in democracy and a genuine, representative electoral process in BiH is critical for the path toward EU accession. CEPPS continued dedicated efforts to bring the electoral process in BiH closer to international standards through CEPPS/IFES’ technical assistance to the Central Election Commission

(CEC). Assistance activities therein strengthened the CEC’s capacity to fulfill its mandate professionally and transparently, primarily through targeted recommendations and consultative fora. Project interventions during this reporting period contributed to improved understanding and interest to enact changes in the CEC’s processes related to political finance oversight, system integrity and cyber-hygiene, and electoral disinformation mitigation. These issue areas represent opportunities for all CEPPS partners to leverage collective action by engaging a host of stakeholders from government, political parties, and

CSOs to implement impactful assistance. This includes strengthening capacity of BiH actors to ensure political finance transparency and to address hate speech in election campaigns.

Sub-Objective 4.1: Electoral framework and processes are improved and strengthened

CEPPS/IFES Activity 4.1.5: Developing an e-learning platform for the CEC

In order for BiH’s electoral process to comply with international obligations and recommendations for transparency and integrity, the electoral framework and processes must be improved and strengthened.

During this reporting period, CEPPS/IFES observed a number of outcomes as a result of its support to the

2020 local elections last quarter. Chiefly, the development of the CEC’s e-learning platform and the launch of the pilot online poll worker training hosted on the platform demonstrated a key success for the

CEC’s approach to recruiting and training poll workers, as well as enhanced transparency of the poll worker training process, as any citizen in BiH is eligible to do the training. Further, the development of the e-learning platform itself represents a commitment by the CEC to continue its efforts to engage and educate the public, especially election officials and observers, on elements of the electoral process. While efforts to ensure the platform is sustainable in the long-term, as well as to design additional trainings, it is the first step in the process. With high participation (more than 1,000 citizens participated in the training), it is also a clear indication to the CEC that the public is eager for opportunities to engage and learn more about the election process, a good sign in light of recent attacks against the CEC’s credibility.

transparently

CEPPS/IFES Activity 4.2.1: Support the CEC in Developing Capabilities to Address Electoral

Disinformation and Intentionally Misleading News

Given the other challenges and priority areas determined by the CEC during this reporting period (see

Analysis of Challenges and Constraints below), the CEC did not take a lead role in addressing electoral disinformation in CEPPS/IFES’ activities. However, through a small grant awarded to local fact-checking organization ZaštoNe, CEPPS/IFES supported a broader initiative to address disinformation’s impact on the 2020 local elections and engage the CEC in this initiative to strengthen its public relations and its engagement with the community, and to connect it with a wider network of stakeholders in BiH. Through the CEC’s participation in activities, chiefly a discussion of research findings on the impact of disinformation on the 2020 local elections and inclusion on an expert panel in ZaštoNe’s live event, the institution elevated its presence as an independent and functional body. Through exposure as a result of these activities, the CEC improved its capacity to fulfill its mandate with professionalism and transparency, as it was able to openly discuss critical issues during the election campaign and voice its commitment to the administration of democratic and genuine elections in response to challenges posed by electoral disinformation and hate speech. Further, the CEC’s engagement in this forum strengthened its connections and enhanced trust with civil society and media actors, representing a gesture of good will and a demonstration of collaborative and consultative efforts.

Additionally, ZaštoNe’s research publication and live events represent strides toward engaging and educating the public on electoral disinformation and the threat it poses to the integrity of BiH’s electoral process. As ZaštoNe maintains a robust audience and platform in BiH society, citizens can access timely and relevant research and reporting that exposes electoral disinformation and dispels false narratives, fostering truth-seeking culture and emphasizing the importance of information integrity. With ZaštoNe’s series of reports, events, and interviews, produced with CEPPS/IFES support, citizens and electoral stakeholders alike will have access to resources and data to enhance their understanding of BiH’s electoral information environment.

Quarterly Report: April 1, 2021 to June 30, 2021

CEPPS/IFES continued its dedicated support to electoral stakeholders, specifically the CEC, but also civil society and media. CEPPS/IFES observed continued commitment from the CEC to engage in activities designed to strengthen the electoral process and its own professionalism, with a deep focus on regulatory and procedural reforms ahead of next year’s 2022 general elections. From the identification of potential enhancements in campaign finance oversight, to investments in cybersecurity safeguards and training, CEPPS/IFES offered unique and tailored support to ensure the CEC witnessed the potential for maximum impact within the resources available. These efforts are of particular importance given the renewed advocacy from global and local interlocutors on electoral reform and demonstrate further will from the CEC to make election processes more free and fair.

Activity 4.1.3: Support the CEC in Developing Political Finance/ASR regulations

CEPPS/IFES achieved breakthrough in its engagement with the CEC, specifically the Audit Department, on improvements to political finance oversight processes. Following a training with Audit Department staff, CEPPS/IFES received robust feedback and ideas for future interventions that will offer solutions to longstanding and emerging challenges, such as addressing the Group of States Against Corruption

(GRECO) recommendations and monitoring campaign spending online. The Audit Department committed to engaging in a series of initiatives that will help it streamline its work and reporting, integrate technological solutions for efficiency, and develop mechanisms for more open and transparent oversight.

Under the sub-activity for technical assistance to CSOs (4.1.3.2), CEPPS/IFES also notes its local partner, Transparency International – BiH (TI), strengthened its capacity on abuse of state resources (ASR), as demonstrated by the production of a comprehensive and evidence-based curricula for civil servants. TI’s outreach to stakeholders to garner support for the training received such high interest that TI had to limit the number of networks receiving the application. For the pilot of this training, 35 applications were received, 30 of which were accepted. The results of these first trainings will be discussed in more detail next quarter.

Activity 4.1.4: Strengthening System Integrity in the Electoral Process

CEPPS/IFES continued providing expertise to the CEC this quarter on system integrity and cybersecurity, with outcomes mapped in strengthening CEC staff capacity. Through

CEPPS/IFES Cyber-Hygiene Awareness Training-of-Trainers

(ToT), four staff within the CEC secretariat were able to 1) build their knowledge and understanding of key principles in organizational and individual cyber-hygiene and 2) develop facilitation skills in pursuit of widescale trainings with election officials throughout BiH. In an evaluation session of the ToT, participants expressed satisfaction with the structure and digestible content in the materials. The word map (below left) captures further thoughts from the participants of the ToT and marks a clear path to empower them to lead this training as facilitators in the future, particularly as

CEPPS/IFES looks to provide this training to election officials across municipalities. With new facilitators, especially those that understand the

BiH electoral process in detail, CEPPS/IFES contributed to building the CEC’s internal capacity while also paving the way forward to improve local election officials’ cybersecurity practices. The anticipated impact of this activity is an electoral process with more protections organized by individuals who draw on knowledge and understand their responsibility for preserving integrity in the digital sphere.

CEPPS/IFES Activity 4.1.5: Developing an e-learning platform for the CEC

To better inform improvements and adjustments to the CEC’s e-learning platform developed with

CEPPS/IFES support, the CEC conducted a survey (developed with CEPPS/IFES assistance) among the more than 1,000 pilot users in the 2020 local election poll worker training module. With CEPPS/IFES technical assistance, the CEC was able to analyze and use data to aid in decision-making for the next steps in investing in the e-learning platform.

Key findings include:

• 63 percent of respondents were more confident in their ability to perform poll worker functions as a result of the module;

• 83 percent of respondents reporting learning new knowledge and skills;

The training has strong facilitation techniques and the way content is delivered is impressive.

-ToT participant

Word map of feedback received during the ToT evaluation session (CEPPS/IFES on Miro, 2021)

• 65 percent of respondents were willing to use an e-learning module in the future.

While respondents still indicated a preference for face-to-face training, this may have been the result of online meeting fatigue due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It also points to the need to integrate more interactive and engaging elements to ensure participants remain open and interested in future online trainings of this sort.

Activity 4.2.1: Support the CEC in Developing Capabilities to Address Electoral Disinformation and

Intentionally Misleading News

During this reporting period, CEPPS/IFES’ local fact-checking partner ZaštoNe completed work under the subgrant project awarded last quarter. Throughout this project, ZaštoNe, with CEPPS/IFES technical support, published research on disinformation during the BiH 2020 local elections; engaged the public through two live expert panel events on disinformation, COVID-19, and elections (which included two

CEPPS/IFES experts and a CEC commissioner); and developed and posted video interviews with activists, journalists, and young leaders on election and information integrity. Through these efforts, CEPPS/IFES strengthened the capacity and complemented technical expertise of ZaštoNe to deliver robust content on electoral disinformation and its role in BiH elections. Further, the content developed under this project increased public awareness on electoral disinformation and provided accurate messaging on the electoral process with concrete examples from the 2020 local elections. Public engagement was demonstrated by more than 1,500 views measured across all videos.1

Quarterly Report: July 1, 2021 to September 30, 2021

Throughout the program year, CEPPS/IFES worked in close coordination with the CEC to identify critical challenges and support practical interventions to strengthen election management and administration processes with limited investment of resources by the CEC, both financial and human. At the beginning of

FY21, CEPPS/IFES focused support efforts on the 2020 local elections, providing ad-hoc assistance to the

1 These numbers are pulled from view count on ZaštoNe’s platform, https://point.zastone.ba/.

Responses to the e-learning platform user survey question on agreement to provided statements (CEPPS/IFES, 2021).

https://point.zastone.ba/

CEC, mainly on the administration of elections during the

COVID-19 pandemic. During the electoral period, CEPPS/IFES’ recommendations to the CEC were fully adopted, specifically on issues related to precautionary measures for election observers and good practice for repeat elections in a municipality where the winning candidate passed away on election day. This technical guidance provided the CEC with tool and evidence to justify its decision-making and to adhere to international standards during complex technical and sensitive political situations. Following the 2020 local elections, CEPPS/IFES began interventions with the

CEC to conclude the electoral period and prepare for the next one, the 2022 general elections. To date, CEPPS/IFES conducted capacity strengthening for the CEC’s

Audit Department on political finance oversight and for CEC secretariat staff on cyber-hygiene awareness training facilitation, which build the internal abilities of the CEC to enact informed oversight and protect the integrity of its digital infrastructure, leading to a more democratic election process.

In addition, CEPPS/IFES also engaged civil society actors to promote information integrity in the electoral environment and build the knowledge and compliance of civil servants on the abuse of state resources

(ASR). With local fact-checking partner, ZaštoNe, CEPPS/IFES connected the CEC with a number of stakeholders and provided technical expertise in online public events focused on electoral disinformation and the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on electoral processes.

In the latter half of the year, CEPPS/IFES provided targeted assistance to

Transparency International-

BiH (TI) to develop and implement training programs for civil servants centered on preventing and mitigating

ASR. These activities offer additional capacity strengthening for interlocutors engaged in advancing democratic electoral processes in BiH, and with CEPPS/IFES support, both ZaštoNe and TI have built a wider network of experts and stakeholders, including the CEC, as well as technical knowledge to continue interventions into the 2022 election period.

Activity 4.1.1: Support to Electoral Law Reform Review, Consultations and Agreements

During the reporting period, CEPPS/IFES conducted a thorough review of the electoral legislative framework, drawing on international comparative experience and thought leadership on electoral legal frameworks. As a result, this review consolidates a number of recommendations and considerations based on standards and good practices to help build a more robust legislative reform package for use in electoral

Photo: Expert panel advertisement for one of the CEPPS/IFES-supported ZaštoNe online events on election integrity in BiH and the broader region.

Key Results:

• All recommendations on COVID- 19 precautionary measures implemented by CEC.

• Ten CEC secretariat staff trained in election oversight and cyber-hygiene.

• 2,000+ viewers for ZaštoNe’s online events.

• 29 civil servants trained on ASR prevention and mitigation.

reform efforts. The consolidation of these recommendations offers beneficiaries and interlocutors a resource to guide reform discussions and efforts. The report will be finalized and shared next quarter. However, as noted in Section I of this report, the interparliamentary working group on electoral reform was effectively suspended with no breakthrough visible on the horizon. Should political will shift quickly, CEPPS/IFES will ensure this analysis is used in reform processes as needed and requested, including in coordination with

USAID.

Sub-Activity 4.1.3.2: Provide Technical Assistance to Civil Society and Media in Enhancing Transparency around Political Finance and ASR in Election Campaigns

TI, with support from CEPPS/IFES through a subgrant project, implemented a new training program for civil servants in national- and entity-level public administration on preventing and mitigating ASR in elections. The training program received largely positive feedback from the 29 participating civil servants (20 women). Roughly 89 percent of participants found the training well-organized and easy to follow and the materials useful, while more than 75 percent rated the training at the highest grade. The training program also yielded key lessons learned, including the need for more practical exercises to increase skill applicability as well as found high disillusionment for whistleblowing due to perceived impunity. These factors will be critical in enhancing the training curriculum and expanding the program to more civil servants and in both online and in-person formats.

Furthermore, TI is now better positioned to continue to implement technical trainings for civil servants on an ongoing and sustainable basis, continuously improve the training program as a result of the knowledge and tools gained from CEPPS/IFES support, and measure the impact of such training through dedicated monitoring and evaluation efforts.

This reporting period, the draft Code of Conduct on the Behavior of Political Actors Online was developed and is positioned to help the CEC better fulfill its mandate (discussed further under Section V). This code is the first of its kind in BiH and represents one of the most innovative proactive initiatives proposed by the

CEC in recent years. The code is informed by CEPPS/IFES’ electoral disinformation research in BiH and international thought leadership and will help form the basis of the CEC’s ability to address electoral disinformation in the 2022 election period. CEPPS/IFES anticipates achieving additional results in subsequent quarters as the code is adopted and socialized among political parties, civil society, and media.

Photo: Participants from one of the civil servant training programs on ASR.

“I learned a lot of new things, which I had not previously considered to be abuse of state resources, and I could not recognize them.”

-Participant from second training

Quarterly Report: October 1, 2021 to December 31, 2021

One calendar year in advance of the October 2022 general elections, CEPPS/IFES helped lay the foundation for substantial interventions to support a free and fair election process. During the quarter, CEPPS/IFES mobilized its resources and expertise to respond to emerging challenges as a result of the ongoing political crisis and continued politicization of election administration. As a result of these initial efforts, CEPPS/IFES supported the CEC in a public-facing lessons learned conference from the 2020 local elections, which yielded a number of recommendations to improve the electoral process ahead of this year’s elections. Further, CEPPS/IFES support to cybersecurity and system integrity awareness for CEC leadership improved their understanding of safe organizational and personal practices online. In coordination with the CEC, CEPPS/IFES also presented an unprecedented approach to securing electoral information integrity through a draft Code of Conduct for the Behavior of Political Actors Online During the election period, CEPPS/IFES has also established key partnerships with other electoral stakeholders, including civil society and media, to enhance their civic oversight of the electoral process and capacity to reach the broader public with pertinent election information.

CEPPS partners have also integrated recommendations from the program mid-term evaluation conducted by MEASURE to ensure programming adapts to needs and gaps identified. This includes an exploratory assessment for a joint CEPPS/IRI and CEPPS/IFES initiative to use election turnout data, collected by the

CEC, to design a targeted Get-Out-The-Vote campaign, as well as a joint CEPPS effort to promote the

CEC’s introduction of the draft code of conduct mentioned above. As a result of these efforts, CEPPS is uniquely positioned to engage across stakeholder groups, especially election administration, to provide critical support to the electoral process and adapt to rapid developments throughout the 2022 election period.

This quarter, the CEC held a two-day conference titled “Local Elections 2020 – Challenges and Lessons

Learned,” to analyze both the challenges and lessons learned after the 2020 local elections. The key outcome of this event was public dialogue on recommendations to improve the electoral process ahead of this year’s elections. Key suggestions included: recognizing the need for improving implementation of COVID-19 measures on election day; recommending reforms to election legislation; addressing procedural and legal gaps to reduce instances of fraud; and the introduction of election technology on election day. Some of these conclusions would ideally be implemented in the months leading to the general elections in October

2022.

Election reform discussion was indeed a goal of the conference, which featured the CEC’s initiative on improving election legislation to align with the OSCE’s Office of Democratic Institutions and Human

Rights (OSCE/ODIHR) 2018 recommendations. More than 200 participants attended the conference, both online and in-person. On the first day of the conference, a total of 91 women and 107 men participated. On the second day, 84 women and 101 men attended. The conference’s main participants were members of the

Central, Municipal, and City Election Commissions, representatives from the OSCE, the Council of Europe, the EU Delegation to BiH, and other international and domestic organizations. CEPPS/IFES provided technical assistance to the CEC to organize the online/in-person hybrid format of the conference. At the end of the conference, the participants concluded that local elections held on November 15, 2020, in Mostar on December 20, 2020, in Doboj and Srebrenica in early 2021, and in Travnik and Foča on April 11, 2021, were conducted successfully on a technical basis. As a result of CEPPS/IFES’ intervention, the CEC also increased its capacity to utilize technology in facilitating hybrid events despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. See Annex VII for a full report of the event.

Activity 4.1.1: Support to Electoral Law Reform Review, Consultations and Agreements

While CEPPS/IFES is still finalizing its electoral reform analysis paper, the research and analysis conducted to date provided CEPPS/IFES with a consolidated assessment of key challenges facing BiH’s electoral process and technical recommendations for improvements, backed by evidence collected from key stakeholders and interlocutors and data presented by the CEC from the 2020 local elections. As a result of this activity, CEPPS/IFES delivered timely and robust support to the CEC and others on critical gaps in the electoral process. This information also guided CEPPS/IFES’ discussions with experts from the international community to inform electoral reform efforts at a higher diplomatic level. CEPPS/IFES expects this analysis to continue to guide any future reform discussions in BiH leading up to the 2022 general elections and beyond.

Activity 4.1.4: Strengthening System Integrity in the Electoral Process

CEPPS/IFES observed positive results of its series of Cyber-Hygiene Awareness Trainings for CEC commissioners and secretariat staff. The trainings, which sought to enhance day-to-day awareness of safe cyber-hygiene practices, were completed in December (more under Section V below). CEPPS/IFES has observed that the trainings contributed to increasing knowledge of CEC staff members, while also strengthening their capacity to manage digital system integrity within the electoral process. As CEC employees reflect and promote a greater knowledge of cyber-hygiene, the likelihood of proactive cyber-hygiene steps, such as updating a password, will increase. Over time, CEPPS/IFES anticipates that these practices will become the norm, rather than the exception, in daily CEC functions.

In particular, there was a demonstrated increase in the number of correct questions in pre- vs. post-tests from both the CEC commissioners and the CEC secretariat. After the training for CEC commissioners, the post-test survey featured 18 participants who scored, on average, 7.22 correct answers out of 11 total questions. After training for the CEC secretariat staff, the post-test featured 22 participants who, on average, scored 6.91 correct answers out of 11 total questions, representing an increase of knowledge for nearly all questions in both trainings.2 Frequently missed answers were related to actions that avoid ransomware, password security, and actions that help to avoid shoulder surfing, which demonstrate additional need to support the CEC in these cybersecurity threat issue areas.

2 To better understand the quantitative improvement in knowledge of cyber-hygiene practices, there was one pre-test given to 20 members of the CEC secretariat. The pre-test was not given to the CEC commissioners in an effort to condense the workshop. During the pre-test, 20 participants scored an average of 3.8 questions out of 11 questions correctly.

Figure 3: Pre- (left) and post-test (right) results of the Cyber-Hygiene Awareness Trainings for CEC secretariat staff.

At the end of the training participants were also asked to evaluate the courses both verbally and in writing.

Participants described the courses as “applicable,” “informative,” and “participatory.” See Annex VIII for a full report of the training series and a list of CEC commissioners and secretariat staff who participated in

CEPPS/IFES’ training.

Last quarter, CEPPS/IFES delivered the draft Code of Conduct for the Behavior of Political Actors Online and its complementary survey for political actors (attached as Annexes IX and X). During the reporting period, CEPPS/IFES delivered a presentation to CEC leadership on the draft code and the global research and thought leadership it was based on. Through this presentation and subsequent discussion, CEPPS/IFES informed the higher-level strategic thinking of the CEC’s leadership within the information integrity framework of BiH’s electoral process. In addition to the code’s language and conceptualization of responsibilities of political actors, CEPPS/IFES’ input contributed to the CEC’s perception of its empowered role to mitigate information threats to the 2022 general elections. This is a significant improvement from the CEC’s perception at the onset of this program, in which CEC leadership viewed its mandate to create a safe and accurate information environment in a limited manner. While the CEC is still weighing its options for the adoption and implementation of the code (see section V below), CEPPS/IFES support not only contributed to the CEC’s capacity to counter electoral disinformation and hate speech, but also to the CEC’s broader role in protecting electoral information integrity.

Quarterly Report: January 1, 2022 to March 31, 2022

CEPPS/IFES’ support to building an effective and genuine democratic election process in BiH continued throughout the reporting period, centered on improvements and capacity strengthening despite the ongoing political crisis in BiH. CEPPS efforts addressed growing pressure from the international community to implement electoral reforms, exacerbated ethno-nationalistic sentiment, disinformation and hate speech, including toward the CEC, and the growing threat of political crisis. The key outcome from this reporting period was demonstrated increase of knowledge as a result of the successful delivery of CEPPS/IFES’ Cyber-Hygiene Awareness Training series for 93 MEC officials (44 women). Following last quarter’s success in improving CEC senior officials and secretariat staff knowledge of cyber-hygiene and digital safety practices, CEPPS/IFES expanded the training to members of lower-level election administration. The training series, led by CEC trainers under CEPPS/IFES oversight, provided these officials with cybersecurity policies, good practices, and tools to protect themselves from online threats during the electoral process, an increasing concern given the deterioration of the safety and security of the electoral environment. An analysis of the training’s pre- and post-tests confirms an improvement in cyber hygiene awareness, with participants scoring, on average, two points higher on the post-test than the pre-test. Demonstrated knowledge gained included preventing phishing and viruses, cyber hygiene organizational policies, and password construction. The training also provided CEC trainers the opportunity to engage in delivery of the training, as well as monitoring and evaluation, resulting in increased training capacity of the CEC and enabling the institution to continue offering these trainings to other election administration officials.

As a result of CEPPS/IFES’ support the CEC in applying technology to positively serve the electoral process, the CEC finalized the technical specifications for a series of software tools designed to streamline election management, including out-of-country voter registration and registration of election observers, political parties, and candidates. With CEPPS/IFES’ support, the CEC was able to initiate the procurement process through the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Mission in BiH using technical specifications in line with international standards and good practices.

All of these outcomes of CEPPS/IFES assistance contribute to the CEC’s capacity to administer a free and fair electoral process both using technology as a tool and preventing against the misuse or threat of technology in election management.

Quarterly Report: April 1, 2022 to June 30, 2022

CEPPS partners collaborated this quarter to identify critical interventions ahead of the elections in October.

Together, CEPPS partners mapped priority activities under the expansion of this program, largely focused on strengthening capacity of the CEC and supporting citizen observation of the electoral process. As a result of this collaboration, CEPPS is now able to build synergies across different facets of the electoral process, primarily election administration and civic watchdog functions, ensuring streamlined, whole-of-society approach in bolstering beneficiaries engagement and performance in pursuit of a free and fair 2022 election period. Of particular note is the now functional updated Central Voter’s Register software, which will improve data integrity of voter registration, contributing more trusted electoral process by political parties and voters themselves. Additionally, the improved capacity of TI to sustainably train civil servants on ASR via an evidence-based and globally tested methodology ensures continued engagement with civil service entities in strengthening resilience to corrupt influences in the electoral process.

While much of this quarter was dedicated to preparations for the 2022 election cycle, CEPPS/IFES observed marked progress in strengthening a free and fair election process. After more than three years since

CEPPS/IFES initially recommended updates to the Central Voter’s Register software, the CEC completed the software update with CEPPS/IFES support. As a result of this assistance, the CEC is now able to more transparently and effectively manage the voter registration process, in time for the 2022 general elections.

While the full results of this intervention will need to be evaluated following the vote, the CEC anticipates that the software will streamline back-end management from the CEC’s side and improve voters’ user experience.

Further, CEPPS/IFES’ advocacy with Meta (Facebook) to expand its Political Advertisements Library to

BiH contributed to the decision to roll out the tool as obligatory for the 2022 election cycle. This marks an important step in fostering a more open and transparent electoral process, with disclosures for online campaign financing now required on all Meta platforms. This tool will enable civil society, media, and oversight bodies to access data on who is running advertisements and from where funds originate in real time, bringing critical information to voters and creating roadblocks for abuse or malign foreign influence in online political advertising.

Finally, CEPPS/IFES also notes that as a result of its support to TI, the CSO now owns an evidence-based and internationally supported curriculum to train BiH civil servants on ASR as an initiative to protect their rights and inform them of their responsibilities in preventing the abuse. TI will now be able to deliver these trainings to a wider audience and can use global experience and research to support knowledge exchange, while also ensuring that civil servants in BiH can protect themselves from being victimized.

Quarterly Report: July 1, 2022 to September 30, 2022

Over the course of Year 3, CEPPS worked collaboratively to identify key threats and challenges to a free and fair electoral process, specifically on electoral reform, corruption in elections, and information integrity vulnerabilities. Collectively, CEPPS exchanged insights and perspectives to better tailor support to beneficiaries, especially the CEC and civil society organizations, ahead of the elections on October 2. In this regard, CEPPS/IFES provided targeted and ongoing support to the CEC on a range of issue areas to prepare for the elections and to effectively carry out its mandate, based on feedback from interlocutors from political parties, civil society, media, and the broader international community. This resulted in tailored and flexible interventions to meet the needs of election administration.

Most notably, CEPPS/IFES saw demonstrated results in election administration’s capacity and performance related to cybersecurity, use of digital solutions, and public relations and communications. In early Year 3, CEPPS/IFES’ training on cyber-hygiene awareness directly contributed to the CEC’s internal expertise, with more than six staff (two women) trained as facilitators and 47 officials (30 women) from across the CEC participating in the training. Participants received the training well, and post-test data demonstrates an average increase in knowledge in the areas noted above. CEPPS/IFES made the training available to officials from Municipal Election Commissions, of which 91 (42 women) participated. Evaluations were overwhelmingly positive and post-tests saw a clear average increase of knowledge. Some of the feedback received is visualized in the graphic to the left.

Throughout the year, CEPPS/IFES also provided critical support to the CEC to adopt digital solutions, all of which were implemented for the 2022 election period. These solutions included critical update and upgrade to CEC’s software for voter registration, which fulfilled a longstanding recommendation to ensure the integrity of the Central Voters’ Register from CEPPS/IFES’

Voter Registration Assessment. With new functionalities, the software allows the CEC to better manage the voter registry at both central and municipal levels, resulting in improved voters’ user experience and expanding voter suffrage in BiH elections. Completion of this software is to consolidate all the functionalities that are not implemented in the previous solution, such as improving reporting functions, voter search, street and voter assignment, checking voting rights, tracking changes made in the voter registry, and synchronisation of data.

Further, the CEC used a series of other software solutions following technical specifications produced by

CEPPS/IFES, such as the candidate and observer registration portal and the out-of-country (OCV) voter

“The participant handbook, which is available for participants to take back and apply to real-life scenarios, is a valuable resource.”

-Participant from the Cyber-Hygiene Awareness Training for CEC leadership

Image 7: CEPPS/IFES training word cloud registration system. The use of these technical specifications streamlined the procurement process and provided the CEC with clear, defined parameters for software that meets international standards and security practices. All OCV voter applications were submitted and processed using the new OCV web-based platform, resulting in significant reduction of fraudulent voter registration applications in the 2022 general elections and increased efficacy and efficiency in processing and vetting applications by the CEC.

In addition to support to election administration, CEPPS/IFES’ assistance to TI-BiH led to a robust program to educate and protect civil servants from becoming subjects in the abuse of state and public administration resources, especially during the election campaign period. The capacity-building program included 140 participants from a number of state, entity, and cantonal level institutions, empowering them to identify and mitigate abuses, as well as to know their rights and responsibilities in reporting violations. Data collected by TI-BiH provides evidence that knowledge imparted to civil servants on standards and guidelines as well as reporting and protection mechanisms were among the most useful.

Among the most notable progress achieved to date is the CEC’s proactive investment in public relations and communications. In the lead up to the election period, the CEC continued to struggle with transparency, political attacks, and targeted hate speech that impacted public trust in election administration. As a confidence-building measure, and to mobilize critical election information, CEPPS/IFES’ support to the CEC’s strategic communications yielded significant results. In particular, CEPPS/IFES observed that its support contributed to the implementation of the CEC’s communication strategy, including through increased transparency and responsiveness to the public and media, quality and timing of information provided to voters, and enhanced social media presence on both Facebook and Twitter. The frequency and quality of posts were of higher caliber than in previous elections (see below) and CEC’s investments in paid advertising expanded reach, leading to visibility for more than 500,000 citizens. For the first time, the CEC allocated funding and resources to its communications functions, with the help of

CEPPS/IFES’ seconded experts available to the CEC. In the weeks leading up to the elections, a number of interlocutors from election administration, citizen observers, and media shared with CEPPS/IFES that the

CEC had firmly improved its external communications capacity and established better processes for proactive engagement with voters. Overall, this improves the CEC’s operating environment and sets expectations for future election cycles on transparency and information integrity and contributes to building

Image 8: Data collected by TI-BiH in training program for civil servants.

Image 9: Tweet from CEC ahead of

2020 local elections.

Image 10: Tweet from CEC ahead of October 2022 trust in election administration.

Sub-Objective 4.3: To provide timely, supplemental financial assistance to non-partisan, citizen-based election observation of the 2022 election cycle.

Activity 4.3.1: Domestic Civil Election Monitoring Activity

CEPPS/NDI subaward partner, the Centers for Civic Initiatives (CCI) as the lead organization of Pod

Lupom (The Coalition for Free and Fair Elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina), published a report on

September 30 of their preliminary, pre-election findings (Annex III). The report includes information on the recruitment and methodology of the 100 long-term observers (LTOs) engaged and deployed throughout the pre-election period; details regarding the more than 1,200 instances of reported electoral irregularities in the July 25 to September 25 period;3 and the general work of the CEC and election administration. With financial assistance under the CEPPS/NDI subaward, CCI and Pod Lupom worked with the CEC to implement 10 recommended changes to election rules and procedures as well as four amendments to the

BiH Law on Elections in coordination with the OHR decision.

Quarterly Report: October 1, 2022 to December 31, 2022

In the post-election period, CEPPS partners collaborated to evaluate assistance initiatives and their impact under Objective 4. Primarily, CEPPS/IFES’ support to a free and fair election process was assessed in light of its targeted assistance to the CEC on critical vulnerabilities, particularly public relations and outreach and ad-hoc support requests.