 We know that it's hard to stay up to date on USIP's latest publications, so we've challenged our teams to summarize their latest research in less than a minute. This is briefly. About one in five elections worldwide are affected by violence. Election violence hinders voting, delegitimizes outcomes, and weakens governing institutions. In extreme cases, it undermines the free political expression of the people's will and disrupts the peaceful democratic transfer of power. Yet as Bojosh Pokerel notes in preventing election violence through diplomacy, his new book from the United States Institute of Peace Press, election violence is not inevitable. Preventive diplomacy, the use of diplomatic engagement to preempt anticipated violence, is an increasingly important tool that national, regional, and international organizations can use to encourage free, fair, and peaceful elections. Drawing on a careful study of recent elections in Kenya, Nigeria, and other fragile democracies, preventing election violence through diplomacy helps policymakers and peace builders understand the causes of election violence and the diplomatic tools available to prevent it.