2004 press releases

U.S. Embassy Statement on Belarusian Observation of U.S. Election (October 29, 2004)

Election observation is a routine undertaking of diplomatic missions, and the United States Department of State welcomes foreign governments' interest in the workings of U.S. democratic institutions.

We welcome the desire of Belarusian diplomats to observe U.S. elections and hope the experience will be of use to Belarus in developing democratic election procedures of its own.

There will be several diplomatic missions participating in observation of the U.S. election through the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe framework. In addition, we understand that several embassies plan to observe the election independently of the Organization's arrangements.

Elections in the United States, including those for national offices such as the presidency, are conducted at the state and local level. State and local laws and procedures, which vary widely across the country, determine the way that neutral observers, including diplomats accredited to the United States, may observe elections. Because there is no national or federal system of observer accreditation, the U.S. Department of State has facilitated contact between embassies, including the Embassy of Belarus, and election officials in many states.

As a result, several missions, including that of Belarus, have made  arrangements with state and county officials around the country to observe democracy in action on election day. We also understand that some Belarusian officials will be part of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's election observer team for the U.S. elections.

The United States is in full compliance with its obligations under the Copenhagen and Istanbul Documents in welcoming observers from OSCE member states to U.S. elections to the extent permitted by law.