OSCE and Russian Observers to Monitor US Elections

Organization for Security Co-Operation in Europe (OSCE) ^ | 2008-10-10 | OSCE

[QenBirQeni]

Just so you people know, other countries are monitoring our elections thanks to an invitation by our Ambassador for limited observation, meaning they cannot interfere:

WASHINGTON, 10 October 2008 - The OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) today opened a limited election observation mission to monitor the 4 November elections in the United States of America.

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The mission will assess the upcoming elections in the context of OSCE commitments and other international standards for democratic elections, as well as national legislation. The observers will focus mainly on federal legislation and its implementation, election reform issues, the election campaign and the media, electronic voting, access of observers, and other issues including voter registration, voter identification, and voting rights.

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[QenBirQeni]

We are a member state in OSCE, but it begs the question of why we need observers here? I mean, I understand they are here to learn from us, but really, we are the standard the rest of the world's elections are measured by, so why bother? Spies, damned spies!

And just in case you were wondering, yes, the Russians are here to monitor our elections:

(via Interfax)

Russian observers to work at U.S. elections as part of OSCE ODIHRmission

MOSCOW. Oct 15 (Interfax) - Eight long-term observers from Russia will go to the United States to work at the country's presidential and congressional elections as members of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) mission. "In compliance with the invitation circulated by the American party in the OSCE, the Russian Federation will send eight long-term observers to monitor the upcoming October 4 presidential and congressional elections there," Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Andrei Nesterenko told journalists. Observers from Russia, who will be members of the OSCE ODIHR monitoring group, are due to begin working in the U.S. on October 15, the diplomat said, adding that their mission is to be completed by November 10. "According to the ODIHR's terminology, it is a limited [election observation] mission. Its status does not envision any systematic monitoring over the voting and vote counting process itself," Nesterenko said. The ODIHR says that most states in the U.S. do not have legal guidelines regulating electoral monitoring and observers' access to polling stations, he said. "Initially, the ODIHR planned to send 100 long-term observers to the American elections. But their final number will total 48 people," he said.

[mlocher]

I think this happens every presidential election. No specific data to back this up, but I recall reading articles like this in the past. It’s just a formality among “friends”.

[ken21]

comrade jimmy carter has gone to numerous countries to monitor their elections.

[TexasRepublic]

Yeah, let our enemies monitor our elections — that’s the ticket!