The report offers 38 recommendations to improve the conduct of elections in the United States of America and to support the country’s efforts in bringing them in line with OSCE commitments, as well as other international obligations and standards for democratic elections.
Recommendations
Key recommendations include:
Reviewing the Electoral College system to ensure respect for the principle of equality
Drawing district boundaries in good time and independently of partisan considerations
Introducing safeguards to prevent legal changes that could be discriminatory or have a negative impact on racial and linguistic minorities
Ensuring that all people with criminal convictions regain their voting rights upon completion of their sentences
Reducing the numbers of voters who remain unregistered, for example by addressing burdensome procedures and obstacles frequently faced by disadvantaged groups
Ensuring that voter identification requirements are equally accessible to all voters, including through federal standards for voter identification for both in-person and postal voting
Requesting public officials, political parties, their candidates and supporters to refrain from using inflammatory or discriminatory rhetoric
Establishing enforcement mechanisms to protect and foster vibrant and healthy digital public domain
Creating rules for basic electoral procedures at the federal level, including time limits for voter registration, early voting deadlines and procedures, rights of observers and deadlines for settling pre- and post-election lawsuits
Revising the way in which members of the Federal Election Commission are chosen to ensure effective and independent oversight and enforcement of campaign finance law
Ratifying the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) to better protect and promote voting rights
Making sure that the commitment made by all OSCE states to provide access for international and citizen observers to all stages of the electoral process is enshrined
https://www.osce.org/odihr/elections/usa/477829