Monitoring the U.S. election

Vienna

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe said this week that it would send a delegation to monitor the U.S. presidential election. The decision stemmed from concerns over the disputed results of the 2000 vote, a spokeswoman for the organization said. The OSCE, which promotes democracy and the peaceful resolution of conflicts, routinely sends observers to watch selected polling places in its 55 member nations, of which the U.S. is one. Most often, it evaluates elections in the former Soviet bloc or in trouble spots like Northern Ireland; this marks the first time a U.S. presidential election is being monitored. Several Democratic members of Congress, who initially requested U.N. observers, welcomed the development. “The presence of monitors will assure Americans that America cares about their votes and it cares about its standing in the world,” said Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Texas). The organization has not said how many observers it will send or where they will be stationed.