ABSTRACT
This chapter recounts the story of the reform process in Guatemala and explains what made dramatic changes in election administration inclusiveness possible and why the reforms took the particular shape that they did, removing some obstacles to voting while leaving others in place. The Guatemala Peace Accords between the government and the URNG guerrillas were wide-ranging and included the Agreement on Constitutional Reforms and the Electoral Regime, signed in December 1996. International election observers consistently recommended reforms to make voting more accessible, including polling decentralization, improved voter registration procedures, and free transportation for voters on election day. International flows of ideas and (more importantly) resources contributed significantly to greater election administration inclusiveness in Guatemala. The Supreme Electoral Tribunal, independent of partisan interests and seeking to boost the legitimacy of the electoral regime, sought to improve voter access while maintaining the integrity of the election process that it had ensured since the mid-1980s.
