election monitors

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Russia Mad It Can't Hang Around US Polling Places

Russian officials wanted to monitor the election in TX, LA, and OK

(Newser) - Russia apparently wanted to send officials to monitor the Nov. 8 US election in three states and is very upset it was turned down, USA Today reports. Russian officials sent requests to Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas asking to be allowed to have monitors at polling locations there. According to Politico...

UN Official Denies Cover Up in Afghan Vote

Recount will rectify fraud, says head of mission in troubled nation

(Newser) - The head of the UN mission in Afghanistan is denying that he helped cover up vote-rigging in the disputed Afghan election, refuting charges made by a top US diplomat. In a rare press conference, Kai Eide also said a partial recount being conducted by a UN-backed election panel would root...

Afghan Polls Open as Race Tightens

In test of country's stability, Karzai faces Taliban violence, 34 challengers

(Newser) - As polls open in Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai's chances of claiming enough of the vote to avoid a runoff no longer look like a sure thing, the New York Times reports. Voter intimidation by the Taliban, a surge in popularity by one of Karzai's opponents, and limited election monitoring could conspire...

GOPers Spot End Run Around Election Law

FEC rule lets 1-man corporations pool their resources

(Newser) - A decision by campaign-finance regulators has a pair of GOP strategists hoping to skirt limits set by election law, Politico reports. The Federal Election Commission recently OK’d ad buys made by a solo activist’s one-man corporation. That gave the strategists an idea: Rich individuals could avoid rules against...

Foreclosed Homeowners May Lose Voting Rights

Dems: GOP plans to challenge addresses

(Newser) - Many of the million Americans who lost their homes through foreclosure in the last couple of years may discover at the polls that they've lost their right to vote in the upcoming election as well, the New York Times reports. Election officials and voter rights groups fear that failure to...

Key Watchdog Won't Monitor Russia Vote

Group cites Kremlin's excessive restrictions on March 2 election

(Newser) - Europe's main election watchdog will boycott Russia's March 2 presidential vote due to excessive Kremlin restrictions, the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights announced today. The group had agreed to send just 70 monitors to oversee the campaign, the New York Times reports, but when Russia barred them from...

Saakashvili Declared Victor in Georgia Vote
Saakashvili Declared Victor in Georgia Vote
UPDATED

Saakashvili Declared Victor in Georgia Vote

No runoff election needed; but opposition cries foul

(Newser) - Official results today showed Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili won re-election with 52.8% of the vote, thus avoiding a runoff election that could've given detractors the chance to unite behind a single candidate, the BBC reports. Protesters claimed foul play, opposition leaders alleged unfair conditions and violations, and main challenger...

Putin Party Election Strategy: Vodka for Votes

Booze & backpacks among lures for Russian voters

(Newser) - Free bottles of vodka are among the gifts Russia's ruling party is using to lure voters in upcoming elections, reports Agence France Presse. President Vladimir Putin's party, United Russia, has also stamped its logo on backpacks and lids for the jam jars many Russians fill to get through the winter.

Russia Stiff Arms International Vote Monitors

Showdown looms with US & EU in bid to keep observers at a distance

(Newser) - Russia may be headed for another showdown with the US and the European Union over its proposals to severely limit the authority of international election monitors. The Kremlin wants to cut the number of observers and ban their reports from publication until after elections. The move comes just months before...

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