OSCE: US election system in many places no longer meets international standards

Baku. 19 January. REPORT.AZ/ Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) believes the American electoral system is very fragmented and in many places no longer meets international standards. Report informs, referring to DW, Michael Link, chief election observer for the 57-member Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), told the Funke Mediengruppe newspaper chain.

Specifically, each state has different voting laws and varying usage of new voting technologies; some states ban former and current prisoners from voting.

A report prepared by a team of OSCE observers, who monitored elections, cited the need for steps to make the U.S. campaign finance system more transparent.

Moreover, despite all steps taken to ensure the security of electronic voting machines, many machines in use across the country were old and did not meet international standards.

Link also criticized U.S. President-elect Donald Trump for "consciously and repeatedly overstepping the bounds of hate speech". "That he was successful with this sets a dangerous precedent," Link said. "The international community expects the United States to provide a good example, also in this area," OSCE official noted.

Notably, the presidential elections in United States were held on November 8, 2016.