Center for Democracy & Election Management was established at the School of Public Affairs at American University in 2002. CDEM has had three goals and related sets of activities—training and education, applied research, and public engagement. Their broader goal is to pave the way for and strengthen democracy through improved electoral performance. CDEM's specific focus is to advance election management through election management training institutes, election observation missions, poll worker training, applied research, and public engagement both in the U.S. and overseas.