Transparency

Chapter 8 focuses on issues of transparency, particularly how far U.S. states allow nonpartisan observers to scrutinize the electoral process and results. This is a common practice abroad, where United Nations standards have strengthened the role and rights of international election observers, but it remains a relatively obscure activity at home, with a patchwork of regulations for access across America. The study concludes that rules across the 50 U.S. states regulating processes of electoral observation are relatively limited and ambiguous, GOP states are often more restrictive than Democratic, and a gap exists between legal provisions and state practices. Amid deteriorating trust in U.S elections, this chapter discusses the general disregard for nonpartisan observers, while noting the important potential benefits of greater transparency for restoring confidence in American elections.