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Increasing political inclusion is a cross cutting objective for NDI. Democracy is more likely to develop and endure when all segments of a society are free to participate and influence political outcomes without suffering bias or reprisal. But in many new and emerging democracies, large portions of the population are excluded from politics based on their ethnicity, religion, age, disability, gender or sexual orientation. The Institute works to increase the participation of these groups so they can have a voice in the political process and achieve a greater level of equality, understanding that political participation is a fundamental means of addressing the social and economic inequities associated with marginalization. Marginalization can be understood as persistent inequality and adversity resulting from discrimination, social stigma and stereotypes. From inaccessible polling stations to information unavailable in minority languages to discriminatory laws to a lack of access to information, significant barriers to entering the political process exist for those at the margins. NDI partners with local groups to eliminate those barriers, change public perceptions of these groups and support their voice in mainstream politics.
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