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US elections, ODIHR: 1/3 of the electorate lost faith in the process, a dark and worrying sign
2024-11-07 22:26:31 / BOTA
The head of the largest international team of election observers in the United States shared with Newsweek concerns about the underlying conditions surrounding Tuesday's vote.
For the 11th time since 2002, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) sent a limited election observation mission to monitor the election process at the invitation of the US.
This year's mission, led by former Member of the European Parliament Tamás Meszerics from Hungary, consisted of 164 observers from 25 OSCE participating States, all adhering to a universal curriculum.
Overall, Meszerics told Newsweek that the mission noted "a good performance of the election administration" without any serious flaws that would undermine the actual execution of the vote. At the same time, however, he identified several ominous factors and trends that could impede the integrity of American democracy.
"Just the fact that a very large number of people, almost 1/3 of the electorate, lost faith in the entire electoral process is a really dark, disturbing, warning sign," Meszerics said.
He also noted what the mission considered "problematic" inadequacies in campaign finance regulation, particularly as they relate to political action committees (PACs) and super PACs.
Another "regular issue" observed by the mission was the mass disenfranchisement of those living in US territories such as Puerto Rico, some 1.5 million people incarcerated on felony charges, and others with disabilities that limit their ability to vote due to restrictions.
Meszerics welcomed the steps taken by US authorities in response to what he said were active threats to the process, including physical security measures and efforts to combat disinformation. However, the actual language from the campaigns presented a problem.
"At the end of the day, what was disturbing was the tone of the campaigns, especially from one of the contenders," Meszerics said, adding that it was indeed much tougher, much tougher and much more violent than ever before. .
Those concerns were echoed in the mission's preliminary findings report released Wednesday.
"The November 5 general election demonstrated the resilience of the country's democratic institutions, with a well-run process in a highly polarized environment, candidates campaigning freely across the country and voters actively engaging," it said. report.
"The campaign was marred by misinformation and incidents of violence, including harsh and intolerant language against women and immigrants by one candidate," he continued. Repeated baseless allegations of electoral fraud negatively affected public confidence.
President-elect Donald Trump, who emerged victorious against Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday, has long alleged widespread cases of election fraud, stemming from his successful run in 2016. No evidence has been found to support the allegations.
The claims were articulated in 2020 when Trump lost to President Joe Biden, leading to a mob of Trump supporters violently storming the Capitol building in an attempt to prevent his opponent's victory from becoming official in January 2021.
These events, coupled with the ongoing restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic and other issues, led to a decline in various rankings of the health of American democracy, including those published by The Economist Group, the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance and the V-Dem Institute.
Trump admitted this September that he lost the 2020 race, but still referred to the vote as a "fraud."
Harris formally conceded her defeat in the 2024 election on Wednesday, saying in her speech that "a fundamental principle of American democracy is that when we lose an election, we accept the results."
She also praised Trump, who acknowledged her "strength, professionalism and tenacity throughout the campaign, and the two leaders agreed on the importance of bringing the country together," according to the Trump campaign.
The events served to assuage some immediate concerns over the potential fallout from the election, which the monitoring mission reported was marred by political violence, including at least two assassination attempts against Trump in July and September.
"Overall, the campaign was often characterized by aggressive and confrontational rhetoric and inflammatory language," the report said. "The mutual accusations between the two leading presidential candidates further exacerbated the existing polarization."
"In addition, there have been incidents of election violence, including assassination attempts on former President Trump. Cases of threats of violence or aggressive behavior targeting voters, including minorities, election administrators, officials, activists and media representatives, have been reported to the MNVZ [international election observation mission]," the report added.
Meszerics, who is also a historian, noted that the US has a strong history of tough, sometimes violent rhetoric in politics that began to fade in the early 20th century. However, he said that "the norms of civilization have changed", creating a problematic atmosphere today.
"It's not just that it's more violent, harsher or even more personalized rhetoric than before, but that it contributes to the already extreme polarization of society," Meszerics said, adding "polarization is something that makes it very difficult ordinary government in most countries if it happens".
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