Since then, the Center and the MCA installed a pilot data gathering system in Hunan, Jilin, and Fujian provinces, collecting information on election results and procedures from more than 3,500 villages. The MOU followed three Carter Center election observation visits since 1996 and a visit to China by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and former U.S. Senator Sam Nunn in July 1997 for talks with President Jiang Zemin and other senior officials. The law now mandates that village committee officials must be elected using greatly improved democratic mechanisms. As Chinese decision makers assess the experience gained from village elections, competitive elections at the township level may be the next logical step in open administration of government. Our hope is that the Center might play a constructive role over the long term in offering experienced and objective technical advice.
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