By: Michael Rohrs

On June 16th 2008, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR) embarked on a Needs Assessment Mission (NAM) to determine if they would undertake an election monitoring effort for the upcoming Presidential Elections in the United States.    On June 18th the OSCE/ODIHR's "core team of election experts" met with Common Cause's own team of electoral experts, including: Director of International Programs, Lauren Coletta, Vice President of Research, Tova Wang, and Director of the National Campaign for Election Reform, Susannah Goodman.  Based on their preliminary inquiries with Common Cause and other agencies and groups, the OSCE recently made the decision to undertake a limited election observation mission, you can read the full report of their inquiry by clicking here.

The election monitoring team will embark on a month-long travel schedule and span the United States. The effort will include 100 long term observers from OSCE participating states. The report specifically mentions voter registration, voting equipment, provisional ballots, voter identification, absentee voting, vote by mail, unopposed candidacies, allegations of voter suppression, ex-felon voting rights, campaign finance spending, and increased voter turnout as issues that "merit further attention."

The entire election-monitoring practice stems directly from adherence to the 1990 OSCE Copenhagen Document.  Mentioned several times in the OSCE report, the Copenhagen Document commissions the OSCE member States to uphold the principles of free, fair, and regular democratic elections. 

In keeping with its commitments as an OSCE participating State, the US has regularly invited the OSCE to observe elections for federal office.