James Madison's Montpelier We the People Spring 2014 | Page 12

We The People
12

building democracy
Over the past decade, hundreds of international leaders from more than 65 countries have come to
Montpelier’s Robert H. Smith Center for the Constitution to study the constitution-making process
and consider how to strengthen self-government in their own nations. Several partners, including

dem o cratic
gr o wing pains

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n January, Montpelier’s Executive Vice President and COO Sean O’Brien
participated as a member of a short-term election observation team for
Egypt’s constitutional referendum. Organized by Democracy International
and funded by USAID, O’Brien was one of nearly 90 observers from around
the globe deployed in the country to monitor voting procedures during the
two-day election. O’Brien visited nearly 80 polling stations in rural Egypt
with the aim of documenting and reporting potential election abuses.
Election Day itself came and went largely conflict-free; however,
Democracy International’s post-analysis determined that the preelection climate was potentially disenfranchising, as evidenced by the
disproportionate vote in favor of the new constitution—38 percent of
eligible voters turned out at polling booths and 98 percent voted in favor
of ratification. With ratification of the constitution, Egypt is now planning
presidential and parliamentary elections for later this year.

Montpelier COO Sean O’Brien
participated as a election monitor
during Egypt’s recent constitutional
referendum.

p o wer o f p l ace : p o wer o f ideas

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ontpelier has joined forces with the University of Virginia, Morven, the College of William and Mary, Thomas
Jefferson’s Monticello, and James Monroe’s Ash Lawn-Highland to form the Presidential Precinct, an alliance
that unites the historic homes of the three Founding Fathers and two of America’s leading universities to create a
forum for global conversation about how to sustain democracy.
This summer, the Precinct will host a six-week academic and leadership institute for the Washington Fellowship for
Young African Leaders, a flagship program of President Obama’s commitment to Africa. The program brings promising
young leaders from a wide variety of backgrounds including aspiring entrepreneurs, business and non-governmental
organizational professionals, and government officials who seek to develop stronger civil societies in their home countries.
Montpelier’s Robert H. Smith Center for the Constitution will work with participants for one of these weeks, focusing on
cultures of constitutionalism and the arc of citizenship found at Montpelier. Participants will join President Obama in
Washington, D.C., for a leadership summit at the conclusion of the program in late July.
The Young African Leaders Initiative is supported by funding from the U.S. State Department and AECOM, a Fortune
500 company and one of the world’s largest design and engineering firms, serving clients in more than 150 countries
including 30 in Africa.