President Donald Trump‘s administration is not inviting election observers from Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) to witness the midterms. This is the first time in over two decades that observers from the regional security group won’t be in the US, MS Now reported. In doing so, Washington has joined Russia and Belarus.
The US goes to vote on November 3, at a time when rising fuel costs, the Iran War, and ICE activity across the country is expected to be on voters’ minds. Republicans are trying to hold on to the seats while Democrats look to expand their presence.
Concerns raised about midterm elections
This latest report has only led to heightened concerns about the midterm elections.
Democrats and election integrity experts had already flagged worries about potential election meddling, over the Justice Department announcing plans to send its own monitors.
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While the OSCE called the decision ‘regrettable’, the Human Rights Watch said the move ‘fuels fears of serious human rights concerns around the upcoming elections.’
Senator Jeanne Shaheen remarked “The Trump administration’s decision not to invite international observers to the United States is deeply antithetical to the spirit of freedom, democracy and transparency that defines our elections.” She noted that the US should hold ‘itself to the same standards that we would expect of any other democracy.’
A State Department official defended the move not to invite OSCE observers saying that OSCE should ‘focus its limited resources on elections where it can have the greatest impact’.
What to know of OSCE’s presence in US elections
The OSCE has observed all federal elections in the US since 2002. The monitors usually visit some polling stations and then issue a report about how elections were conducted, among other things.
The OSCE monitors have no enforcement power and they don’t interfere in the election process. Their access to polling stations is decided by each state. They were called to observe the 2018 midterms during Trump’s first term, and most recently the 2024 elections as well. At the time OSCE noted it was ‘well run’ with candidates campaigning ‘freely across the country’.
The OSCE has noted that the Trump administration’s call is ‘not in line’ with the existing commitments the US has to other countries in the OSCE, where participating nations have agreed to invite observers during their elections.