Acknowledgements The authors would like to sincerely thank Management Sciences for Health Senior Director for Population Health Dr. Elke Konings, M.D., IFES Senior Country Director for Myanmar OBE Paul Guerin, IFES Program Adviser for Ukraine Meredith Applegate, IFES Senior Global Inclusion Advisor Virginia Atkinson, Senior Gender Program Officer Gina Chirillo, IFES Graphic Design Officer Keaton Van Beveren and IFES Communications Officer Janine Duffy for their review of this paper and invaluable contributions. Note From the Authors IFES has strived to make this guidance as comprehensive as possible while maintaining its applicability and usefulness across different electoral systems. The feasibility of implementing certain recommendations, however, depends to a large extent on each country’s legal framework. It is also important to note that new evidence about how the novel coronavirus behaves and its effects on human health emerges every day. The guidelines offered here are based on the current knowledge of COVID-19 at the time of publication. While these recommendations are expected to minimize the risks to public health and increase voters’ and election officials’ confidence to participate in elections, different contexts pose different levels of threat. Holding in-person elections might not always be the best option. Decisions regarding whether and how to hold electoral activities must always be informed by comprehensive risk assessments developed in coordination with credible and competent local health authorities. As elections are inherently political events, a country’s discussion on going to the polls during public health crises is likely to be more successful if it involves political parties and civil society and is based on a common understanding of all risks involved. -2-