Momina Yari

Momina Yari, an election commissioner who has campaigned for better access for women at polling stations, said even if a woman wanted to vote, her family often wouldn't let her.

In cases where women staffers were available, the women's polling centers were often in the back of a building, meaning female voters had to walk past large groups of men to cast their ballots, Yari said.

The IFES STEP Gender Specialist and the Independent Election Commissioner Momina Yari brought this issue to the forefront by moderating a discussion that resulted in the conclusion that women's participation needed to be endorsed by the religious leaders in Afghanistan.