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04 November 2004

Mideast, European and Asian Students Observe American Democracy

Exchange students visit polls, study American electoral process

By Phyllis McIntosh
Washington File Special Correspondent

Washington -- Thirty-three exchange students from 16 countries across the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and Central, South and Southeast Asia spent Election Day in the United States, November 2, learning how the country elects its leaders and witnessing democracy in action at a polling place in Washington.

After a State Department briefing about the U.S. electoral process, the students walked to nearby Jefferson Junior High School where they observed neighborhood people voting, studied a sample ballot, and asked questions of local election officials.

The students, aged 15-17, are spending a year living and studying in the United States through the Department of State's Youth Exchange and Study (YES) program for students from predominantly Muslim countries, and the Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) program, which enrolls students from countries of the former Soviet Union.

The 33 students who participated in the Election Day visit come from Afghanistan, Armenia, Belarus, Egypt, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Moldova, Pakistan, the Philippines, Russia, Syria, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, the West Bank, and Yemen. All are living with host families and attending schools in the Washington metropolitan area.

Election Day provided the students "a unique opportunity to observe the workings of the American political process up close," said Robert Persiko, chief of the Youth Programs Division of the State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

He challenged the teenagers to find ways to interpret what they observed about American democracy in action to their friends and families in their home countries.

Students from a number of countries -- from Afghanistan to Yemen, Armenia to Syria -- reported considerable interest in this election among people at home. "People do care about it because we have a relationship with the United States, and we have to work together," said a YES student from Pakistan.

Some saw the impact of the election in global terms. "America is such a powerful nation so it [the U.S. presidential election] is important not just for America but for every country," said a girl from Armenia, a participant in the FLEX program.

"The whole world is watching this election," declared a YES student from the Philippines. "This election will determine not only the fate of the United States but also the fate of the world."

Several students from Afghanistan said they were especially excited to be witnessing the American election, which comes less than a month after the first democratic election ever held in their country. They expressed some regret at not being home for that historic event, but one boy said he was pleased to "observe that American people are excited for voting and selecting the new leader of America."

An Afghan girl was concerned how the outcome of the U.S. election might affect further progress in her country, where the U.S. was instrumental in overthrowing the repressive Taliban regime. "Women now have the right of studying, of voting, of working," she said. "What happens in America will be very important for Afghanistan."

The students said they were closely following the presidential campaign. Most had watched the televised debates between President Bush and challenger John Kerry, and they frequently discussed the campaign with their host families and friends at school. Like Americans, many expressed a strong preference for one candidate over the other and were eagerly looking forward to watching the election returns on television.

They marveled how American teenagers and even younger children have been captivated by the campaign. "It's not like in our country, where people like elders do care about elections but younger teenagers don't care and aren't aware of them," said a young man from Pakistan. "Here the teenagers are so enthusiastic, wearing badges on their jackets and stickers on the back of their cars. I see conflict in school between supporters of the two parties, with students talking about politics and arguing with each other."

During their visit to the polling place, the students were especially interested in how the U.S. protects against frauds, such as duplicate voting. Election officials explained how individual polling places check registration records and require voters to sign a card or book before they vote and how votes cast on new computerized touch-screen machines are backed up by a paper record.

The students rounded out their Election Day activities with a visit to the Voice of America (VOA) studios in Washington, where several Afghan students were thrilled to meet reporters whose voices they recognized from broadcasts back home. The students' voices will soon be heard in their homeland as well, because VOA staff took the opportunity to interview them about their experiences in the United States.

At the end of the day, some of the students sensed that they had had an opportunity to experience history in the making. "I'm so proud to be here," declared the boy from Pakistan. "This election is so important. I can say some time in my future life, ‘I was there on that Election Day in Washington, D.C.'"

(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)