Part of the 1995 treaty required that Bosnia have democratic elections monitored by representatives from other countries. Retired Iowa State staff members George and Jan Beran were among the 400 U.S. citizens, from a total of 2,400 international representatives, who traveled to Bosnia to monitor the elections.
Ballots are better than bullets.
Jan Beran, who retired from the Department of Health and Human Services in 1992, said she and her husband became involved with the treaty through her involvement with the League of Women Voters. Her husband, George Beran, just recently retired as a professor of veterinary medicine this year. The September trip was the second occasion in which the Berans have monitored Bosnian elections. Last year they managed the election of municipal candidates, and this year they worked during the election of members of the presidency and parliament. During these days, Beran worked with local polling organizers in a small town of 10,000 to ensure that election regulations were being followed.