Who Thinks We Should Call Upon the UN to Monitor Our Election Starting NOW?

[McCamy Taylor]

I was reading this post about how a number of states are conducting active purges of voters from the eligible rolls, even though federal law makes this illegal within 90 days of the election.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=4140207&mesg_id=4140207

This made me realize that the federal government is not enforcing the law (surprise, surprise) or protecting our right to vote. The Department of Justice under Mukasey has been just as bad as it was under Ashcroft and Gonzales about failing to enforce other Voting Rights laws, too.

I also worry about unpleasant surprises closer to election day, like insufficient voting machines and obstructions at the polls and illegal challenges to voters.

So, how many people think we should petition the UN to come into the United States to enforce the federal voting laws that the Bush administration has failed to enforce for the last seven years? And does anyone know how to do it?

[Gman]

1. We tried that in 02, 04 and 06

Many of us here sent emails to the UN requesting observers. The response from the UN was that the government had to invite the UN in before they would come observe. That meant Bush had to invite the UN. That was the end of that.

[Solly Mack]

4. Yep. I still have my reply from the UN

from 2001.

[canetoad]

2. Two points

1) Is the UN inherently less corrupt than the US government
2) Why should anyone else in the world care about the shit you have mired yourself in?

[screembloodymurder]

3. They have no intention of relinquishing power.

We will have to fight for it.

[muriel_volestrangler]

5. You could talk to the OSCE/ODIHR

The OSCE/ODIHR recommends the establishment of a Limited Election Observation Mission (LEOM) for the 4 November 2008 general elections. The OSCE/ODIHR LEOM will assess the upcoming elections in the context of the 1990 OSCE Copenhagen Document and other international standards for democratic elections. In addition to the deployment of a core team of election experts, the OSCE/ODIHR will request OSCE participating States to second 100 long-term observers to be deployed throughout the country for approximately one month. According to standard practice, an OSCE/ODIHR LEOM does not envisage comprehensive and systematic observation of election day procedures, although members of the OSCE/ODIHR LEOM will visit polling stations around the country on election day.

http://www.osce.org/documents/odihr/2008/07/32444_en.pdf

http://www.osce.org/odihr/