The general elections in the United States of America were highly competitive and well managed in spite of the legal uncertainties and logistical challenges amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Aggressive rhetoric and unsubstantiated claims about election fraud reduced public trust in the process. However, formal procedures put in place ahead of the election, together with committed civic engagement, led to high voter participation despite the many challenges. These are some of the main conclusions of the final report on the November 3rd US general elections, published today by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).

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 in law

ODIHR’s Limited Election Observation Mission to the November 3, 2020 general elections in the United States of America took up its work on 29 September 2020 and remained in the country until 15 November. All 57 countries across the OSCE region have committed to follow up promptly on ODIHR’s election assessments and recommendations.