US President Donald Trump's repeated allegations that voter fraud poses a threat to the presidential election risk undermining the public's perception that the vote will be legitimate, poll observers from the Organization for Security and Co-Operation in Europe (OSCE) said in an interim report
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 29th October, 2020) US President Donald Trump's repeated allegations that voter fraud poses a threat to the presidential election risk undermining the public's perception that the vote will be legitimate, poll observers from the Organization for Security and Co-Operation in Europe (OSCE) said in an interim report.
Observers from the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights Limited Election Observation Mission (ODIHR LEOM) underscored that that the presidential campaign is being held in an atmosphere of sharp polarization and political division, and has been restricted by the coronavirus pandemic.
"The capacity to hold in-person campaign events has been significantly limited due to the pandemic. However, President Trump and the former Vice President Biden have both been able to hold some campaign rallies," the report said. "Many ODIHR LEOM interlocutors have expressed grave concerns about the risk of legitimacy of the elections being questioned due to the incumbent President's repeated allegations of a fraudulent election process, and postal vote in particular."
The OSCE observers noted that this year's election is being held under a very complex legal framework, with significant differences between states in terms of procedures. US states will be responsible for administering the vote, with duties delegated to around 10,500 jurisdictions, it added.
"Amendments to electoral processes of multiple states have been made in response to the COVID-19 pandemic with the purpose of safeguarding the health of voters and election officials during the electoral process," the report explained.
The observers also noted that many of these states' procedures are still subject to ongoing litigation, with more than 365 lawsuits filed in 44 states and the District of Columbia.
"ODIHR Limited Election Observation Mission (LEOM) interlocutors stated that the continuing litigation can result in uncertainty and some voters not being able to cast their ballots," the report added.
The observers also said that although Congress has authorized emergency funds for states to address COVID-19-related issues during polling, the money allocated so far is largely considered insufficient.
"In some jurisdictions funding was supplemented through donations from individuals channelled through not-for-profit organizations," the report said. "Recruitment of sufficient numbers of poll workers is a significant challenge in many jurisdictions."
The report also noted that despite recent improvements across the country, some jurisdictions in eight states still do not yet have a voter verified paper trail to back up any malfunctioning equipment.
"Some ODIHR LEOM interlocutors note the potential for device malfunction, unauthorised tampering or unreliable vote count for certain devices. Notwithstanding these concerns, interlocutors of the mission express confidence in the integrity of election infrastructure and efforts to mitigate cybersecurity risks," it added.
Moreover, the OSCE overseer mission stated in the report that the right to vote in the United States is subject to many limitations. It explained that about 4.6 million citizens resident in the District of Columbia and in US territories are not fully represented in the Congress, while approximately 5.2 million citizens, with some half of whom have served their sentences, are disenfranchised due to criminal convictions.
"These restrictions disproportionally affect racial minorities," the report noted.
The US is set to hold the presidential election on November 3. Incumbent President Donald Trump is running as the candidate of the Republican party, while former vice president Joe Biden is running as the Democratic candidate.
