US 2008 ELECTIONS: a Pre-Election Briefing for the Global Observer —
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US 2008 ELECTIONS: a Pre-Election Briefing for the Global Observer

High pressure, low margin elections have the capacity to compromise the reputation of even the best run electoral process. Unusually high turnout in the 2008 U.S. presidential election is expected to put unprecedented pressure on America’s decentralized electoral management system. This special briefing explains the structures, from voter registration to electoral dispute resolution, underpinning America’s democracy.

 
 

The world is watching the U.S. 2008 general elections. The race between presidential candidates John McCain and Barak Obama has garnered unprecedented interest both inside the U.S. and in the international community. The OSCE has deployed long-term election observers to 40 U.S. States. The candidates and issues at stake in this election have inspired unprecedented participation; indicators including voter registration, campaign spending, and expected voter turnout are breaking previous U.S. records. Despite surging participation, public confidence in the electoral process is alarmingly low.

Observers remember the last two presidential elections were especially close, revealing significant cracks in the way the U.S. actually runs its elections. In 2000, the election outcome came down to several hundred votes, and was eventually decided in court. Four years later, despite national and local efforts at reform, the 2004 presidential contest was characterized by problems with electronic voting equipment and allegations of fraud. In the last eight years, the way citizens register and vote has changed dramatically, largely driven by federal laws and citizen activism.  How will the U.S. electoral management system, already suffering from a dearth of public confidence, hold up to this exceptional pressure?

In the sections below, we outline the key aspects of the U.S. electoral process from a global perspective, giving you, the ACE community, tools to analyze this important race.  

 

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