sent by Women's Int'l League for Peace & Freedom (WILPF)
URGENT:
Sign on to Call for UN Election Observers for the US Elections
Dear Colleagues,
On Thursday, July 1, 2004, eight members of the US Congress sent a letter to the Secretary-General of the United Nations asking for UN oversight of the US presidential elections in November. A copy of that letter is reproduced below. We are informed that there will be further sign- ons from members of Congress this week.
MADRE, the Women of Color Resource Center and the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom support their efforts. We are writing now to urge your organization to sign the following letter supporting this courageous and historic request aimed at helping to protect the right of every person to vote as enshrined in human rights treaties ratified by the United States, such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (article 25) and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (article 5) not to mention the U.S. Constitution and Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Please support the efforts of these members of Congress to ensure accountable, transparent, free and fair elections in November by signing your organization onto the following letter no later than July 12. Please email the official support of your organization and the appropriate contact information to WILPF at [EMAIL PROTECTED] .
Please also contact your members of Congress and tell them you support the request.
Sincerely,
Mary Day Kent Executive Director WILPF
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Letter of Support for U.S. Congress Members' Request for UN Monitors in 2004 Presidential Election:
The Honorable Kofi Annan, Secretary-General, United Nations
Honorable Secretary-General Kofi Annan,
We the undersigned organizations are writing to express our support for the request made by members of the U.S. Congress for United Nations observers to monitor the U.S. presidential election on November 2, 2004.
The 2000 presidential election was plagued by allegations of widespread voter disenfranchisement, particularly in the state of Florida. The allegations included irregular and wrongful purging of voter registration lists and questionable practices and policies relating to balloting, counting and certification procedures. These allegations have been largely confirmed by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, a bi-partisan federal agency.
The Commission also found that the disenfranchisement "fell most harshly on the shoulders of black voters."
In a race with the narrowest of margins, every single vote that was counted, or not counted, had a clear and profound impact on the election.
Ultimately the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision which halted the re-counts in Florida and which suggests that post-election relief will be very difficult to obtain.
Recently, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights issued another report which found that adequate steps have not been taken at the state and federal levels to ensure that similar concerns do not arise in the 2004 presidential election.
We are also very concerned about both the old methods as well as the new electronic technology to be used in some states and precincts. They present different but urgent problems which are not being adequately addressed domestically and which threaten the right of every person to vote and have his or her vote counted in free and fair elections.
We urge you to give serious consideration to the request by our Congress members and offer the necessary electoral assistance to the United States in advance of and during the presidential election.
Sincerely,
Vivian Stromberg Executive Director, MADRE
Linda Burnham Executive Director, Women of Color Resource Center
Mary Day Kent Executive Director, Women's International League of Peace and Freedom
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Letter from Members of the U.S. Congress to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan Requesting Election Monitors to Assist with 2004 U.S.
Presidential Election
July 1, 2004
The Honorable Kofi Annan Secretary-General United Nations New York, NY 10017
Dear Mr. Secretary-General:
We the undersigned Members of Congress hereby request the Electoral Assistance Division of the United Nations Department of Political Affairs to send election observers to monitor the presidential election in the United States scheduled for November 2, 2004. We are deeply concerned that the right of U.S. citizens to vote in free and fair elections is again in jeopardy.
As you may know, the 2000 presidential election was steeped in controversy. The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, a bipartisan federal agency, investigated widespread allegations of voter disenfranchisement and questionable practices in the state of Florida relating to the purging of names from voter registration lists, methods of balloting, and the independence of counting and certification procedures. In a report released in June 2001, the Commission found that the electoral process in Florida resulted in the denial of the right to vote for countless persons and further that the "disenfranchisement of Florida's voters fell most harshly on the shoulders of black voters" and in poor counties.
Moreover, Florida was not the only state in which voters were wrongfully denied their right to vote and have their vote counted. Experts have concluded that over half of the votes that went uncounted nationwide during the last election were "cast by nonwhite voters." In Florida, the Commission found that black voters were "10 times more likely than non-black voters to have their ballots rejected" - a result that experts say is typical of states across the country. The election was finally determined by the Supreme Court which prevented further counting of the votes in what has been widely criticized as one of the most politicized and improper decisions in U.S. jurisprudence.
As the next Election Day approaches, there is more cause for alarm rather than less. In April of this year, the Commission issued a status report which found that despite promised nationwide reforms relating to voting equipment, voter list maintenance, pollworker training, election certification, and reinstatement of ex-felon voting rights, adequate steps have not been taken to ensure that a similar situation will not arise in the coming election. Rather, upon evaluating the current state of affairs, the Commission concluded "the potential is real and present for significant problems on voting day that once again will compromise the right to vote."
The right to vote, and have votes counted, in free and fair elections is a cornerstone of representative government. In addition to violating amendments 15, 19 and 26 of the U.S. Constitution, and laws adopted pursuant to it such as the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the events in Florida violated the right to vote as it is enshrined in several international instruments that the U.S. has either agreed to, such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (article 21), or ratified, such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (article 25) and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (article 5).
As a member of the international community, we firmly believe in the importance of international human rights law and its applicability and relevance to the U.S. Given the deeply troubling events of the 2000 election and the growing concerns about the lack of necessary reforms and potential for abuse in the 2004 election, we believe that the engagement of international election monitors has the potential to expedite the necessary reform as well as reduce the likelihood of questionable practices and voter disenfranchisement on Election Day.
In addition, we believe that international oversight is critical in this election not only because of the role the U.S. has in the world, but also because the issues related to the methodology of elections inside the United States, such as the use of electronic and paperless voting technology, are likely to have international impact. The danger that these methodologies could become a standard to be exported and emulated involves broader issues of democracy that should be of concern to the United Nations and the international community as a whole.
For all these reasons, we urge the UN to favorably consider this urgent request.
Sincerely,
Eddie Bernice Johnson (TX-30) Member of Congress
Joseph Crowley (NY-07) Member of Congress
Raul Grijalva (AZ-07) Member of Congress
Danny K. Davis (IL-07) Member of Congress
Corrine Brown (FL-03) Member of Congress
Carolyn B. Maloney (NY-14) Member of Congress
Jerrold Nadler (NY-08) Member of Congress
Michael M. Honda (CA-15) Member of Congress"
