Exclusive: These international observers have monitored US elections for decades. This time, the Trump admin didn’t invite them

For over two decades, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has sent a mission to observe every federal election in the United States, after receiving an invitation from the administration.

But the regional security organization told Democracy Docket that it hasn’t received an invitation from the Trump administration to observe the midterms.

It’s the latest ominous sign that the U.S. is backsliding on democracy. And it adds to concerns that the administration wants to remove any potential roadblocks to its ability to undermine the vote.

“The Office sends a needs assessment mission upon receiving an invitation from the OSCE participating State where the elections are occurring,” a spokesperson for the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, the OSCE unit responsible for election monitoring, said in a statement. “We are currently waiting on that invitation from the United States.”

The OSCE’s website also says it still has made no preparations for a U.S. observation mission.

In past election years, the group has published its needs assessment much earlier in the cycle. Since first observing U.S. elections in 2002, the OSCE’s missions have varied in size and scope — many were “limited election observation missions,” particularly since 2014 — but they have always always taken place.

The U.S. is one of 57 nations that agreed to allow OSCE observers to monitor their national elections under the 1990 OSCE Copenhagen Document. The organization sends missions to observe elections and produce reports that flag issues and recommend ways to strengthen the electoral process in each participating country.

“It seems to be just another data point in this mess where the executive branch of our national government seems to be trying to sow confusion about whether elections are going to be well-run and credible, or not,” said Eric Bjornlund, an election observation expert and president of the organization Democracy International. “And it just seems to be more evidence that they don’t have the commitment to fair elections that past U.S. governments have shown.”

Another country with no observation mission scheduled for its upcoming parliamentary elections is Russia, which has transformed into a deeply authoritarian state in recent years.

The U.S. Department of State, which is responsible for engagement with the OSCE, did not immediately respond to Democracy Docket’s request for comment.

The Trump administration has been sharply critical of the OSCE. In December, a senior State Department official threatened that the U.S. could leave the international organization unless it undertook serious reforms, the Security and Human Rights Monitor reported.

Among the changes, the U.S. government wanted the OSCE to slash its budget, stop “dictating national social policy,” and increase engagement with Russia.

Judith Kelley, a professor of public policy at Duke University, said it’s alarming — but not surprising — that the Trump administration is not welcoming international observers for the midterms.

“Given the current administration’s stance towards international organizations, it would be more surprising if such an invitation had been issued, especially given the topic of elections,” Kelley said in an email.

“Democracy is already under threat in this country. It doesn’t send any new signals, only confirms that fact as well as the disdain for international organizations,” she added.