Author
Blanca Stephanie Elvir is one of the many young faces you will find leading democratic initiatives spearheaded by ASJ. She works as democracy specialist for our Democracy and Transparency Team in Tegucigalpa.
HONDURAN ELECTIONS 2025/ Justicia Winter 2025
February 25, 2025
Young Hondurans have stepped up for democracy
(by Blanca Stephanie Elvir)
Training session with volunteers for election observation in 2021.
“As a child on election day, my routine was accompanying my grandmother to the polling station and, in the last years when her eyesight began to fail, supporting her in the process. She would get up early and prepare “burritas” (two tortillas with beans, egg, and cheese, arranged like a sandwich) to take with us and eat while we waited in line. Elections were an important day for her because, while fulfilling her civic duty, she would get to meet up with her friends from the neighborhood, whom she loved spending time with. ”
This is the story told to us by Raul, one of the volunteers on ASJ’s Democracy in Action program, currently doing his professional internship in ASJ’s Transparency and Democracy department.
Many of us young people have similar stories to this one when we are asked: how do we experience elections? Without realizing it, our parents and grandparents have instilled in us the importance of participating responsibly in electing our authorities and thus deciding the course of our country. This was how, in the 2021 elections, young people were the segment of the population that defined the result of the electoral process, which reached one of the highest levels of participation (68%) in the history of Honduras.
In previous electoral processes, ASJ has encouraged youth participation beyond voting. Observation, communications and advocacy strategies have been promoted during the three stages that make up the electoral process: the pre-electoral stage when preparatory activities are carried out; on election day when citizens go to the polls and vote; and finally, the post-electoral stage which includes the counting of votes, the review of possible irregularities and the declaration of the new authorities.
Specifically, in 2021, through the Informed Vote initiative, 1,273 national observers participated— deployed in 17 of the country’s 18 departments. The young volunteers were recruited through social networks and were subsequently trained to collect the required data and input.
In 2025, Honduras will once again undergo an electoral process to elect the president of the country, as well as the municipal mayors and the deputies of the National Congress, who exercise the legislative power. The electoral process will consist of two stages: the first, called the internal elections and primaries, will be held on March 9, 2025. Its objective is for each political party to choose the candidates who will participate in the subsequent general elections, which will be held on November 28 of the same year.
This year, in addition to our regular advocacy work, ASJ is also coordinating the Network for the Defense of Democracy, which is an alliance of NGOs, youth, women, Catholic and Evangelical churches, universities and private companies. This alliance represents a unique and innovative initiative that is bringing together diverse sectors of society to work together in advocacy, electoral observation, and overall social auditing that we hope will increase the fairness and transparency of this electoral process. Included in the actions we will carry out is the participation of 10,000 young people, just like Raul, who are willing to continue stepping up to defend democracy in Honduras.
Hondurans cast their ballots during the November 30, 2025, general election, which saw historic voter turnout and a peaceful process supported by more than 12,000 national and international election observers working to safeguard transparency.
ASJ-Canada and ASJ-US Congratulate the Honduran People, Call for Full and Transparent Results As sister organizations committed to justice, peace and hope in Honduras, ASJ-Canada and ASJ-US extend our deepest congratulations to the people of Honduras on the peaceful conduct of their national elections on November 30, 2025. With the initial tally showing an extraordinarily close vote, we call on election authorities to do what is necessary to ensure a transparent count of the remaining ballots in order to guarantee public trust in the final outcome. We commend the Honduran voters for their dedication to democratic participation and their commitment to shaping the future of their country through civic engagement. We also recognize the efforts of electoral authorities, civil society organizations, the international community and the thousands of volunteer observers who worked to ensure a transparent, orderly, and secure process. We are especially proud of our sister organization, ASJ-Honduras, for their unwavering commitment to democracy demonstrated through their electoral observation efforts, their analysis activities, and their consistent call for a fair and orderly process. Now that such a process has been achieved, the work turns to counting the votes with accuracy and transparency. The results remain close, increasing the possibility of a contested result. We support the work of the election officials at the National Electoral Council to give Hondurans confidence in the final results by conducting their count with rigor and transparency. We remain hopeful that the spirit of peaceful participation in the democratic process embraced by the electorate will carry forward into the post-election period to come. We look forward to continued collaboration with ASJ-Honduras as we all work together toward a just and hopeful future for all Hondurans. Matthew Van Geest President, Board of Directors ASJ-Canada Russ Jacobs President, Board of Directors ASJ-US
A call to action for Honduras
The Association for a More Justice Society-US Supports the Network to Defend Democracy; Calls for Free and Fair Elections in Honduras November 25, 2025
Honduras’s Institutional Crisis Deepens Ahead of the 2025 Elections
Dear friend, I couldn’t stop looking at the picture. Of course, there had been plenty of inspiring photos from this summer’s Prayer Walk for Peace and Democracy. The sea of blue and white rising and falling as hundreds of thousands walked the Honduran hills through Tegucigalpa, flowing like a never-ending stream. Catholic nuns praying their rosaries alongside Pentecostals dancing in the streets. But the picture that still knocks me flat is the closeup. The one of the two men standing side by side (picture enclosed). They are exhausted, and the shorter collapses into the taller. The tears mostly hold joy and relief, but they are mingled with something darker. After all, there had been threats—promises of harm done to themselves and their loved ones if they led their followers through the streets of Honduras in prayer. Despite the fear and intimidation, Pastor Gerardo Irías and Monsignor José Vicente Nácher forged ahead. They knew Honduras needed unity and, above all, prayer before the looming November 2025 presidential elections. As an ASJ supporter, you know that these kinds of threats aren’t out of the ordinary, and your support has helped slow and reverse violence in Honduras. Today, I am writing to share a way you can continue standing with brave Hondurans like Pastor Gerardo and Monsignor José in hope. The Evangelical pastor and the Catholic archbishop put the word out as widely as they could to their churches, hoping to mobilize 20,000 to walk and pray. Instead, an estimated 230,000 walked in the capital of Tegucigalpa alone. It was a historic moment. And without your past support for ASJ, it may have never happened. After all, two years prior, Pastor Gerardo and Monsignor José didn’t even know each other’s names. They first met in 2023 at ASJ’s offices. They were two of many civil society leaders convened by ASJ to discuss safeguarding democracy– especially before the election in 2025. It was at that meeting that they shook each other’s hand and learned each other’s name. It was at that meeting–and many subsequent meetings–where old religious prejudices began to be replaced by trust and mutual affection. So, when the moment came this summer to act, Pastor Gerardo and Monsignor José knew what they had to do. And they knew that they had to do it together.
Calvin alums turn faith into action through nonprofit
MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Thank You for Moving Forward With Us this Summer!
When Policies Shift, Families Pay the Price * by Jo Ann Van Engen
