(AP) The United States, accustomed to giving advice on democracy, is in the unfamiliar position of getting some from international election observers schooled in Tajikistan, Ethiopia and other emerging democracies.
Two observer groups have been examining U.S. voting systems for compliance with international standards for free and fair elections. The very idea disgusts some Republicans, who say it sends a message of weakness and compromises U.S. sovereignty. Some Democrats say the scrutiny is overdue.
Former President Carter, for one, has said some U.S. voting systems don’t meet international standards "even as many other nations are conducting elections that are internationally certified to be transparent, honest and fair."
The observers already have found problems typical in countries with far less than 200 years of voting experience.
David MacDonald, a Canadian member of a team organized by the San Francisco human rights group Global Exchange, said observers were shocked to find that partisan officials run U.S. elections.
Requiring election officers to be nonpartisan "is as close as you can get in democratic or electoral terms to a universal norm," MacDonald said after visiting Missouri, where Secretary of State Matt Blunt, a Republican, is the chief electoral officer and a candidate for governor. "There are some very serious problems that need to be addressed."
The report said touch-screen machines that don’t print paper ballots for use during a possible recount could delay the election outcome beyond Nov. 2 and create more, not less, controversy.
It faulted procedures with absentee and provisional ballots, cited reports of voter intimidation and disenfranchisement, and criticized moves by a few states to allow overseas and military voters to fax rather than mail completed ballots.
The report also noted that many of the reforms envisioned by an election assistance law enacted after the disputed 2000 presidential election won’t be in place by Nov. 2, and raised concerns that the right to vote "may not be evenly applied or protected throughout the country."
Whether U.S. voting systems meet international standards has been the subject of intense debate since major weaknesses were exposed during the recount of presidential ballots in Florida in 2000. United Nations guidelines call for an "independent electoral authority," and for systems that guarantee the will of the voters will be followed and counted equally. The OSCE specifies that vote-counting must be transparent and open to observation.
The observers’ presence has drawn stinging criticism from some Republicans.
"What do foreign observers bring to American elections?" Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., wrote to constituents. "We are not a country suppressed by tyranny and aggression; we are a free nation built upon a foundation of citizen democracy."
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From website: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/americas/2004/vote_usa_2004/3987655.stm
The OSCE sent 92 observers to monitor the electoral process across the United States.
However, they were barred by state law from polling places in Washington DC, FLORIDA and OHIO.
New Mexico also has laws limiting access to polling place by non-voters, but the state sent an escort with the OSCE delegation.
The observers recommended that state election laws be harmonised to allow for greater transparency and universal access to both international and domestic non-partisan observers.
Below are excerpts from two websites in regard to international election standards and observers:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/10/07/politics/main648039.shtml
October 7, 2004
(AP) The United States, accustomed to giving advice on democracy, is in the unfamiliar position of getting some from international election observers schooled in Tajikistan, Ethiopia and other emerging democracies.
Two observer groups have been examining U.S. voting systems for compliance with international standards for free and fair elections. The very idea disgusts some Republicans, who say it sends a message of weakness and compromises U.S. sovereignty. Some Democrats say the scrutiny is overdue.
Former President Carter, for one, has said some U.S. voting systems don’t meet international standards "even as many other nations are conducting elections that are internationally certified to be transparent, honest and fair."
The observers already have found problems typical in countries with far less than 200 years of voting experience.
David MacDonald, a Canadian member of a team organized by the San Francisco human rights group Global Exchange, said observers were shocked to find that partisan officials run U.S. elections.
Requiring election officers to be nonpartisan "is as close as you can get in democratic or electoral terms to a universal norm," MacDonald said after visiting Missouri, where Secretary of State Matt Blunt, a Republican, is the chief electoral officer and a candidate for governor. "There are some very serious problems that need to be addressed."
The report said touch-screen machines that don’t print paper ballots for use during a possible recount could delay the election outcome beyond Nov. 2 and create more, not less, controversy.
It faulted procedures with absentee and provisional ballots, cited reports of voter intimidation and disenfranchisement, and criticized moves by a few states to allow overseas and military voters to fax rather than mail completed ballots.
The report also noted that many of the reforms envisioned by an election assistance law enacted after the disputed 2000 presidential election won’t be in place by Nov. 2, and raised concerns that the right to vote "may not be evenly applied or protected throughout the country."
Whether U.S. voting systems meet international standards has been the subject of intense debate since major weaknesses were exposed during the recount of presidential ballots in Florida in 2000. United Nations guidelines call for an "independent electoral authority," and for systems that guarantee the will of the voters will be followed and counted equally. The OSCE specifies that vote-counting must be transparent and open to observation.
The observers’ presence has drawn stinging criticism from some Republicans.
"What do foreign observers bring to American elections?" Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., wrote to constituents. "We are not a country suppressed by tyranny and aggression; we are a free nation built upon a foundation of citizen democracy."
****************************************************************************
From website: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/americas/2004/vote_usa_2004/3987655.stm
The OSCE sent 92 observers to monitor the electoral process across the United States.
However, they were barred by state law from polling places in Washington DC, FLORIDA and OHIO.
New Mexico also has laws limiting access to polling place by non-voters, but the state sent an escort with the OSCE delegation.
The observers recommended that state election laws be harmonised to allow for greater transparency and universal access to both international and domestic non-partisan observers.