Avery Davis-Roberts is the associate director of the Carter Center’s Democracy Program, where she has worked since January 2003. She is also a member of the National Task Force of Election Crises and a board member of the Election Reformers Network. ^{1 2 3}

In an interview with Vox, Davis-Roberts suggested that the Carter Center should observe elections in the United States, as it does in developing nations around the world. ⁴

Background

Avery Davis-Roberts received a master’s of law degree in international human rights law and a bachelor’s degree in Arabic and law from the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London. ⁵

She began her career as a researcher for Michael Bell and Associates, a London-based management consultancy and research firm. She worked for the firm from July 2002 until January 2003. ⁶

After leaving Michael Bell and Associates, Davis-Roberts became an intern at the Carter Center, a left-of-center non-profit organization founded in 1982 by Jimmy Carter, the 39th President of the United States, and his wife Rosalynn in partnership with Emory University. The organization has a global development and peacekeeping mission with a focus on election oversight, serving as the official election observer in 113 elections in 39 countries through its “Democracy Program.” ^{7 8}

In September 2003, Davis-Roberts became an assistant program director of the Carter Center’s Democracy Program for the organization. She claims to have organized and manages conferences that resulted in the endorsement of the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation at the United Nations. ⁹

Davis-Roberts became a program associate for the Democracy Program from September 2006 until September 2008. During this time, she managed the Center’s election observation mission in Venezuela and was a liaison with election stakeholders, officials, and candidates during the country’s 2006 election. She then became a senior program associate for the Democracy Program from September 2008 until September 2009. ¹⁰

In 2009, Davis-Roberts was promoted again to be assistant director of the Democracy Program, a position she held from until September 2014. As assistant director, she created the Carter Center’s “Election Obligations and Standards toolkit” and its “Election Obligations Manual.” She also managed grants from the governments of the United States, United Kingdom, Sweden, Switzerland, Ireland, Denmark, and the Netherlands. ¹¹

Davis-Roberts became the associate director for the Carter Center’s Democracy Program in September 2014, a position she still holds as of May 2022. She manages the organization’s Democratic Election Standards Project, its Observing U.S. Elections Project, managed the launch of the Election Obligations and Standards toolkit, and organizes conferences on election standards. ¹²

Avery Davis-Roberts is a member of the National Task Force of Election Crises and a board member of the Election Reformers Network. ^{13 14}

United States Elections

During an interview in 2020 with Vox, a digital media brand of Vox Media that operates the left-leaning Vox.com news and opinion website, Avery Davis-Roberts claimed that “long-simmering racial tensions” in the U.S. appear in the form of “police brutality” and “attacks on our democratic institutions” that have been made worse by “misinformation.” Due to this, she suggested that the Carter Center could “support” elections in the U.S. as it does in elections around the world. ¹⁵

Davis-Roberts also noted that The Carter Center had been working with the National Vote at Home Institute “on materials and tools and good practices for election officials.” ¹⁶ The National Vote at Home Institute is an advocacy organization that advocates for a nationwide vote-by-mail electoral system. It is associated with several progressive and left-of-center organizations through its “circle of advisors,” including Democracy Fund, Common Cause, and Rock the Vote. ¹⁷

1. “Avery Davis-Roberts.” LinkedIn. Accessed May 2, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/avery-davis-roberts-46096b10/.
2. “Members.” National Task Force on Election Crises. Accessed May 2, 2022. https://www.electiontaskforce.org/members.
3. “Leadership.” Election Reformers Network. Accessed May 2, 2022. https://electionreformers.org/leadership/.
4. Kirby, Jen. “Why a top democracy watchdog has its eyes on the US election.” Voc.com. November 2, 2020. Accessed May 2, 2022. www.vox.com/2020/11/2/21542089/carter-center-us-elections-transparency-polarization.
5. “Avery Davis-Roberts.” ACE Project. Accessed May 2, 2022. https://aceproject.org/electoral-advice/archive/questions/author/davisroberts.
6. “Avery Davis-Roberts.” LinkedIn. Accessed May 2, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/avery-davis-roberts-46096b10/.
7. “Carter Center Accomplishments.” Carter Center. Accessed May 2, 2022. www.cartercenter.org/about/accomplishments.html.
8. “Democratic Elections and Standards, Monitoring Elections.” Carter Center. April 15, 2022. Accessed May 2, 2022. www.cartercenter.org/peace/democracy/index.html.
9. “Avery Davis-Roberts.” LinkedIn. Accessed May 2, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/avery-davis-roberts-46096b10/.
10. “Avery Davis-Roberts.” LinkedIn. Accessed May 2, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/avery-davis-roberts-46096b10/.
11. “Avery Davis-Roberts.” LinkedIn. Accessed May 2, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/avery-davis-roberts-46096b10/.
12. “Avery Davis-Roberts.” LinkedIn. Accessed May 2, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/avery-davis-roberts-46096b10/.
13. “Members.” National Task Force on Election Crises. Accessed May 2, 2022. https://www.electiontaskforce.org/members.
14. “Leadership.” Election Reformers Network. Accessed May 2, 2022. https://electionreformers.org/leadership/.
15. Kirby, Jen. “Why a top democracy watchdog has its eyes on the US election.” Vox.com. November 2, 2020. Accessed May 2, 2022. www.vox.com/2020/11/2/21542089/carter-center-us-elections-transparency-polarization.
16. Kirby, Jen. “Why a top democracy watchdog has its eyes on the US election.” Vox.com. November 2, 2020. Accessed May 2, 2022. www.vox.com/2020/11/2/21542089/carter-center-us-elections-transparency-polarization.
17. “About Us.” National Vote at Home Institute. Accessed May 2, 2022. voteathome.org/about-us/.