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How an International Election Observer Sees the US 2020 Election

How an International Election Observer Sees the US 2020 Election
A ballot bin is seen at the Gwinnett County Board of Voter Registrations and Elections offices in Lawrenceville, Ga., on Nov. 7, 2020. Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images
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Commentary

My first experience as an international election observer was in Yemen, in the fall of 1992. I was the American Embassy liaison with the professional election observer community. To the shock of the international community, and to my personal surprise, those elections were mostly free and fair, which was how we certified them. Not one of us could say the same thing with a straight face about the American elections of 2020.

Bart Marcois
Bart Marcois
Author
Bart Marcois is a former career foreign service officer, and was the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Energy for Policy and International Affairs. He has served as an international election observer in several countries, and in over 30 domestic elections in several states.
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