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Texas Attorney General threatens foreign election observers with arrest
AUSTIN – State Attorney General Greg Abbott's admonition that international election observers – part of what the Texas Secretary of State's office called a long-standing exchange program to promote learning – could be criminally prosecuted if they overstep Texas law was deemed "unacceptable" by the group's director.
The flap was prompted when Abbott wrote a letter to Ambassador Daan Everts at the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights in the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.
The Republican attorney general, in a press release announcing the letter Tuesday, noted the group is "a United Nations partner." Some conservatives and tea party groups have been vocal in their suspicion toward the United Nations.
Abbott said in the letter that the ambassador reportedly had met "with a group of organizations that have filed lawsuits challenging election integrity laws enacted by the Texas Legislature," including Project Vote, which he described as being "closely affiliated with ACORN."
Abbott wrote that Project Vote and other organizations had said in a letter to Everts that the OSCE had identified Voter ID laws as a barrier to voting rights, urging the organization to monitor states that had enacted them.
"The OSCE may be entitled to its opinions about Voter ID laws, but your opinion is legally irrelevant in the United States, where the Supreme Court has already determined that Voter ID laws are constitutional," Abbott wrote.
Texas' Voter ID law has been blocked by a federal three-judge panel, citing its effect on the poor, racial minorities and Latinos.
Abbott concluded his letter by saying the Texas Election Code governs all election participants; that the organization's representatives are not authorized to enter a polling place; and that it "may be a criminal offense for OSCE's representatives to maintain a presence within 100 feet of a polling place's entrance."
"Failure to comply with these requirements could subject the OSCE's representatives to criminal prosecution for violating state law," Abbott wrote.
Ambassador Janez Lenarčič, director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, expressed serious concern in a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
"The threat of criminal sanctions against OSCE/ODIHR observers is unacceptable," he said. "The United States, like all countries in the OSCE, has an obligation to invite ODIHR observers to observe its elections."
He said its observers "are required to remain strictly impartial and not to intervene in the voting process in any way."
The observers were in Bexar County last Friday, watching voting preparations, including training and equipment checks.
Texas Secretary of State Hope Andrade also wrote to Everts on Tuesday to express concern that based on media reports, it appeared that "this valuable information sharing program" was being politicized. She wrote that she was certain the organization did not intend for its observation program to be portrayed as "monitoring," and added that it was "critical" that Texans understand the organization only is in Texas to learn about the state's election processes.
Lenarčič, responding to Andrade Wednesday, assured her that the mission was being conducted "on the basis of the highest standards of impartiality and professionalism." He said its observation mission was deployed at the invitation of the U.S. government.
Keith Ingram, director of the elections division in Andrade's office, said in an e-mail to county election officials Tuesday, "Over the weekend you may have heard reports from media or voters in your area alleging that international observers are monitoring Texas elections.
"While it is true that a two-person observation team has been sent to Texas by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to observe our election process over the next two weeks, any characterization of this team as election monitors is false," he wrote. "Further, the OSCE monitors are informed they will not be granted any monitoring or inspection status from the Secretary of State's Office."
Ingram said he had met with the two-person team last week. He said it is "one piece of a nationwide effort and is part of a long standing exchange program between members of the OSCE, including the United States, to observe each other's election processes and learn from one another."
Ingram said he had informed the team members that the Election Code would not allow them into actual polling places, and that they understood.
Gov. Rick Perry weighed in on Twitter Tuesday, saying, "No UN monitors/inspectors will be part of any TX election process; I commend @TXsecofstate for swift action to clarify the issue."
San Antonio Express-News reporter John W. Gonzalez contributed to this report. link
The flap was prompted when Abbott wrote a letter to Ambassador Daan Everts at the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights in the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.
The Republican attorney general, in a press release announcing the letter Tuesday, noted the group is "a United Nations partner." Some conservatives and tea party groups have been vocal in their suspicion toward the United Nations.
Abbott said in the letter that the ambassador reportedly had met "with a group of organizations that have filed lawsuits challenging election integrity laws enacted by the Texas Legislature," including Project Vote, which he described as being "closely affiliated with ACORN."
Abbott wrote that Project Vote and other organizations had said in a letter to Everts that the OSCE had identified Voter ID laws as a barrier to voting rights, urging the organization to monitor states that had enacted them.
"The OSCE may be entitled to its opinions about Voter ID laws, but your opinion is legally irrelevant in the United States, where the Supreme Court has already determined that Voter ID laws are constitutional," Abbott wrote.
Texas' Voter ID law has been blocked by a federal three-judge panel, citing its effect on the poor, racial minorities and Latinos.
Abbott concluded his letter by saying the Texas Election Code governs all election participants; that the organization's representatives are not authorized to enter a polling place; and that it "may be a criminal offense for OSCE's representatives to maintain a presence within 100 feet of a polling place's entrance."
"Failure to comply with these requirements could subject the OSCE's representatives to criminal prosecution for violating state law," Abbott wrote.
Ambassador Janez Lenarčič, director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, expressed serious concern in a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
"The threat of criminal sanctions against OSCE/ODIHR observers is unacceptable," he said. "The United States, like all countries in the OSCE, has an obligation to invite ODIHR observers to observe its elections."
He said its observers "are required to remain strictly impartial and not to intervene in the voting process in any way."
The observers were in Bexar County last Friday, watching voting preparations, including training and equipment checks.
Texas Secretary of State Hope Andrade also wrote to Everts on Tuesday to express concern that based on media reports, it appeared that "this valuable information sharing program" was being politicized. She wrote that she was certain the organization did not intend for its observation program to be portrayed as "monitoring," and added that it was "critical" that Texans understand the organization only is in Texas to learn about the state's election processes.
Lenarčič, responding to Andrade Wednesday, assured her that the mission was being conducted "on the basis of the highest standards of impartiality and professionalism." He said its observation mission was deployed at the invitation of the U.S. government.
Keith Ingram, director of the elections division in Andrade's office, said in an e-mail to county election officials Tuesday, "Over the weekend you may have heard reports from media or voters in your area alleging that international observers are monitoring Texas elections.
"While it is true that a two-person observation team has been sent to Texas by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to observe our election process over the next two weeks, any characterization of this team as election monitors is false," he wrote. "Further, the OSCE monitors are informed they will not be granted any monitoring or inspection status from the Secretary of State's Office."
Ingram said he had met with the two-person team last week. He said it is "one piece of a nationwide effort and is part of a long standing exchange program between members of the OSCE, including the United States, to observe each other's election processes and learn from one another."
Ingram said he had informed the team members that the Election Code would not allow them into actual polling places, and that they understood.
Gov. Rick Perry weighed in on Twitter Tuesday, saying, "No UN monitors/inspectors will be part of any TX election process; I commend @TXsecofstate for swift action to clarify the issue."
San Antonio Express-News reporter John W. Gonzalez contributed to this report. link
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