1. Michael D. Boda
+1.202.558.5584 (office) • +1.703.525.0644 (home)
Michael.Boda@jhu.edu • Michael.Boda@law.oxon.org • www.MichaelBoda.com
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Election Advisor, based in Oxford, England and Arlington, Virginia (2001-2011). Consultancies in election
administration, assistance, and observation in developing and established democracies. Focus on planning for and
implementing strategies that lead to efficient elections guided by international norms. Among clients:
• IFES (2009-2011): In Pakistan, advice on reforming election law based on international standards and
best practice. Overseeing work of drafting group, led effort to unify and propose model provisions for
Pakistan’s Constitution and election legislation. In Jordan, offered oral and written advice on reform to
Jordan’s election legislation and on establishing an independent election management body;
• The Carter Center (2005-2009): Advice on assessing elections using standards and best practices as
articulated within public international law, regional legal sources, and documents produced by election-
related institutions, while offering guidance on altering the institution’s election observation
methodology. Conducted seminar in Morocco with thought-leaders in election observation and tested
new methodology in Ghana, December 2008;
• United Nations Elections Assistance Division (2008): Advice on approach Division uses during “Needs
Assessment Missions” in preparation for election assistance missions. Wrote draft of manual;
• Inter-Parliamentary Union (2002-2005): Offered representation to IPU at OSCE meetings in Warsaw and
Vienna. Organised Experts Roundtable on election observation methodology. Wrote two sections for
and was editor for publication entitled Revisiting Free & Fair Elections (IPU, 2005);
• Booz Allen Hamilton, assisting U.S. National Association of Secretaries of State (2000-2001): Advice
and writing for Secretaries of State in consideration of components needed for Help America Vote Act
(2002).
Director, Deputy Reviewer and Lead Drafter, Independent Review of the 3 May 2007 Scottish Elections,
Edinburgh, Scotland (2007-2008). Engaged to establish and oversee an independent team (thirteen employees
and consultants) tasked with consulting with Scottish electoral stakeholders and the public while conducting an
audit of these elections. Report produced for the UK Parliament. Testified before Scottish Affairs Committee at
Westminster in January 2008.
Visiting Research Fellow, National Endowment for Democracy, Washington, DC (2006-2007). Established a
mechanism for assessing the quality of elections based on public international law and best practices of election
administration. Conducted seminar on U.S. electoral processes and presented research findings. Project funding
awarded by the Reagan-Fascell Democracy Program in the International Forum at the NED.
Visiting Research Fellow, Brookings Institution, Washington, DC (2003-2004). Conducted research and
wrote on implementing public-sector accountability mechanisms. Focused on how best to measure success and
failure in administration of elections. Project funding awarded by Pew Charitable Trust.
Acting Director/Deputy Director, International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), Washington, DC
(1997-2000). Senior staff member responsible for election-related research and content management and liaison
with election administration community. Supervised and managed core staff of seven, multiple substantive
consultants, and up to ten part-time employees and interns each summer in implementing research and
information projects, requiring a background in public policy, social scientific methodology, information
technology, and library science. Offered instruction to visiting government officials, diplomats, election officials,
and scholars in approaches to conducting elections abroad. Co-led observation of Albania’s second-round
elections as part of team in Shkoder in 1997. Led IFES observation efforts in Northern Virginia and District of
Columbia for international participants in 1996 and 1998. Appointed Deputy Director in 1997, Acting Director in
1999.

2. Page Two
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE (cont.)
Senior Editor, International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), Washington, DC (1995-2000).
Responsible for institution’s web and print-based resources:
• Administration and Cost of Elections Encyclopedia (www.aceproject.org): Established and managed a
global web-based publication aimed at facilitating better performance of public employees involved in
administering elections. Member of founding management team, overseeing 15 consultants, writers,
editors.
• CNN/IFES Election Watch: Established and managed on-air and web-based project aimed at fostering
public awareness of scheduled elections. In partnership with CNN, aired forty-five second vignettes five-
times daily on CNN-International, pointing viewers to Election Watch on CNN’s English, Spanish and
Swedish websites.
• ElectionGuide.org (www.ElectionGuide.org): Established and managed election data collection project
designed for provide information on elections to individual citizens, civil society, governments,
researchers, and the media.
• Elections Today: As editor, with staff of three, oversaw content development, assignments and
production, and successfully attracted advertisers for election administration trade magazine.
• Buyer’s Guide to Election Services, Supplies, and Equipment (www.IFESBuyers Guide.org): Established
and managed an online catalogue for U.S. Federal, State, and County employees responsible for
purchasing election equipment ad supplies with the aim of lowering the cost of conducting electoral
events.
EDUCATION
Johns Hopkins University – Baltimore, MD – Ph.D. in Political Science, Jan 2011.
Dissertation: A New Generation in Election Observation: International Law as a Standard for Electoral Practice
Supervised by: Richard S. Katz
Specializations: Comparative Politics, International Relations
University of Oxford – Oxford, England – D.Phil. in Law, Apr 2008.
Dissertation: Judging Free & Fair: International Law as a Norm for Electoral Practice
Supervised by: Guy S. Goowin-Gill
Specializations: Public International Law, Comparative Public Law, Election Law
University of Oxford – Oxford, England – Master of Studies (with distinction) in
Legal Research, Dec 2002
Dissertation: Independence is not a Panacea: A Study of Election Administration Using the UK as a Case Study
Specializations: Public International Law, Comparative Public Law, Election Law, W. Europe
SAIS, Johns Hopkins University – Washington, DC – Master of Arts in
International Relations, May 1995
Specializations: International Economics/Trade, Canadian Studies, N. America.
University of Regina — Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in History and English Literature, May 1991
Université Laval — La Ville de Québec, Québec, Canada
Programme Spécial de Français pour Non-Francophones, Sep 1988 – May 1989
LANGUAGE SKILLS
Fluent in English, proficient in French.

3. Page Three
ORGANIZATION INVOLVEMENT
• IACREOT (International Association of Clerks, Recorders, Election Officials, and Treasurers)
• IIMC (International Institute of Municipal Clerks)
• AEA (Association of Election Administrators in the United Kingdom)
• GEO (Global Election Officials) Network
• ACEEEO (Association of Central and Eastern European Election Officials)
• PIANZEA (Pacific Islands, Australia and New Zealand Electoral Administrators Network)
• International Political Science Association (IPSA)
• International Law Association (ILA) - British Branch
• American Political Science Association (APSA)
• Canadian Political Science Association (CPSA)
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS AND PRESENTATIONS
Publications
• A Unification of Pakistan’s Election Legislation including Model Provisions for Electoral Reform, June
15, 2011. Islamabad: Free & Fair Election Network/IFES, with Mohsin Abbas and Qazi Saleem Akhtar.
• Considerations for Establishing an Election Management Body in Jordan, May 2011. Amman:
International Foundation for Election Systems.
• A New Generation for Election Observation: International Law as a Standard for Electoral Practice.
Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University, January 2011.
• Priorities for Reform to Laws Governing the Conduct of Elections in Pakistan, December 14, 2009.
Islamabad: Free & Fair Election Network/IFES, with Mohsin Abbas.
• Scottish Elections 2007: The Independent Review of the Scottish Parliamentary and Local Government
Elections, 3 May 2007 (Ron Gould, Reviewer). London: Electoral Commission, lead drafter.
• “White Paper on Election Observation Methodology,” Atlanta: The Carter Center, 2006.
• “Reconsidering the ‘Free and Fair’ Question” in Representation: The Journal of Representative
Democracy (Vol. 41:3, 2005).
• “Judging Elections by Public International Law: A Tentative Framework” in Representation: The Journal
of Representative Democracy (Vol. 41:3, 2005).
• “Existing Commitments for Democratic Elections in OSCE Participating States, A Progress Report”
Warsaw: OSCE/ODIHR (contributor, 2003).
• "The Electoral System Works—For Now,” CNN-Interactive coverage of South African Elections, June
1999.
• "Building Credibility Without a Constitution,” CNN-Interactive coverage of Nigerian Presidential
Election, February 1999.
Edited Publications
• Revisiting Free and Fair Elections. Geneva: Inter-Parliamentary Union, 2005 (in French under title
Elections libres et régulières : Un regard neuf. Geneve: L’Union interparlementaire, 2005).
• Representation: The Journal of Representative Democracy, Vol. 41:3. London: Electoral Reform
Society, 2005. (guest editor)
• Elections Today, Vols. 5:4–8:4. Washington, DC: IFES, January 1996-May 2000.
• Administration and Cost of Elections Encyclopedia (with Helena Alves, Therese Laanela and Harry
Neufeld). New York: United Nations, 1998.
• CNN/IFES Election Watch. Atlanta: Cable News Network, 1997-2000.
• IFES ElectionGuide Online. (www.ElectionGuide.org) Washington, DC: IFES, 1999-2000.
• Buyer’s Guide for Election Services, Supplies, and Equipment, (www.IFESBuyersGuide.org).
Washington, DC: IFES, 1998-1999.

4. Page Four
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS AND PRESENTATIONS (cont…)
Presentations
• “International Standards and Practice for Election Management Bodies: Comparing Jordan and the
United Kingdom,” Dead Sea, Jordan: Workshop Conducted for Jordan’s Ministry of Interior, 7 May
2011.
• “Models for Election Management in the Context of Jordan,” Dead Sea, Jordan: The Election Law and its
Impact on Political Parties Empowerment Conference organized by UNDP for Jordan’s National
Dialogue Committee, 28 April 2011.
• “Boundary Delimitation and Establishing a New Electoral System in Jordan,” Dead Sea, Jordan: The
Election Law and its Impact on Political Parties Empowerment Conference organized by UNDP for
Jordan’s National Dialogue Committee, 28 April 2011.
• Radio interview on international standards and election in Myanmar/Burma. Bangkok: BBC Burmese via
telephone, October 2010.
• Radio interview regarding electronic vote counting in Scotland. Glasgow: BBC Scotland via telephone,
October 2010.
• “Consideration of Carter Center’s Methodology for Election Observation,” Ouirgane, Morocco: Retreat
on Criteria for Assessing Elections, 9 December 2009.
• Primer on U.S. approach to administering elections and evaluation of Congress. Washington, DC: BBC
interview, November 2008.
• “Understanding U.S. Election Administration through Three Windows on American History.”
Alexandria, Virginia: National Endowment for Democracy, November 2008.
• Oral Evidence on Review of the Scottish Parliamentary and Local Government Elections held on 3 May
2007. London, UK: Scottish Affairs Committee, Parliament of the United Kingdom, January 2008.
• “Criteria for Assessing Democratic Elections: A Discussion Paper.” Washington, DC: Post-conference
presentation to working group, Meeting on the Implementation of the Declaration of Principles for
International Election Observation, Organization of American States, November 2007.
• “What is ‘Free & Fair’: International Law as a Norm for Assessing Elections.” Washington, DC:
Lecture to government and NGO community hosted by the National Endowment for Democracy,
February 2007.
• “Independence is not a Panacea: Querying a tightly-held assumption in the literature of election
administration.” Toronto, Ontario: Canadian Political Science Association Annual Meeting, June 2006.
• “Free & Fair Elections.” Guest lecturer. Baltimore, Maryland: Johns Hopkins, April 2005.
• “Judging Free & Fair: Approaches to Measuring Election Quality.” Invited presentation to Fellows of the
International Reporting Project. Washington, DC: SAIS/Johns Hopkins University, February 2005.
• “Enforcement of Political Financing: Consideration of Effective Administrative Models.” Invited
presentation at Democracy and Political Party Financing Symposium. Montreal, Quebec: International
Political Science Association, May 2003.
• “Findings on Study of Election Administration in the United Kingdom, 2001-2002.” Invited by Sam
Younger, Chairman of Electoral Commission, to conduct briefing. London: Electoral Commission,
February 2003.
• “Electoral Norms, Constituent Parts, and Determining ‘Better’ Electoral Practices: A Response to
International Standards and Commitments on the Right to Democratic Elections.” Warsaw, Poland:
OSCE/ODIHR, 2002.
• “Election Administration Reform Discussion Document: National Election Standards Task Force of the
National Association of Secretaries of State,” Washington, DC: Booz Allen Hamilton, 2001.