Electoral experts from around the world will be in Arizona this week as part of an unprecedented international monitoring of the U.S. elections. The election monitoring team will traverse the state—from Phoenix to Flagstaff to Window Rock—to investigate issues that may be undermining public confidence in the integrity of the U.S. electoral system.

On Wednesday Sept. 22 at 6:30 pm the international monitors will participate in a Community Forum with League of Women Voters at A.I.P.E.R., 325 E. Broadway Rd., Tempe, AZ —2 blocks west of Rural. The goal of the independent, non-governmental international monitoring of the U.S. elections is to boost voter confidence and participation in this year's elections. Experience in dozens of countries around the world has shown that the presence of outside observers can make a valuable contribution toward building trust in democratic processes and helping ensure fair elections.

While in Arizona, the international election observers will meet with county voting registrars, talk with community organizations, observe voter registration drives, hold conversations with a range of advocacy organizations, and participate in town hall meetings to get a full picture of Arizonans' views about democracy in America.

The four-person monitoring team traveling to Arizona is part of a larger 20-person delegation. The entire delegation first spent four days in Washington, DC meeting with government officials, policy analysts, advocacy organizations, and academics to get an overview of electoral controversies in the U.S. The delegation then split into five groups to conduct further investigations in Arizona, Georgia, Florida, Missouri, and Ohio.

The election monitors come from a range of professional and political backgrounds. All are well known and highly regarded within their own countries. The monitoring team in Arizona includes: • Australian Shanta Martin, an international legal advisor currently working for the Commission for the Verification of Codes of Conduct in Guatemala;

• Chilean Dr. Edgardo Condeza Vaccaro, President of Movimiento por Los Derechos y La Consulta Ciudadana, which has played an important role promoting democracy in Chile as a response to the Pinochet dictatorship;

--more--

--2--

• Ghanian Kwesi Addae, founder of Pollwatch Africa, which carries out election monitoring and consulting services to the election commissions of various African countries including Ghana, South Africa, Togo, and Botswana; • Mexican Oscar Gonzalez, a former President of the Mexican Academy of Human Rights and a Mexican diplomat to the United Nations. He is also a member of the advisory board of Alianza Civica, Mexico's largest civic watchdog organization.

In the spirit of open inquiry, the monitors are welcome to investigate any issue that attracts their attention. At the same time, U.S. organizers of the monitoring effort are highlighting three subjects that feeding controversy about the integrity of the upcoming elections:

• Evidence that minority and poor voters are disproportionately disenfranchised;

• Deep disagreements over the security of millions of votes recorded on computer voting machines; and

• Concerns about the consequences of corporate and personal wealth in political contests.

To arrange an interview with any of the election monitors or to set up a time to shadow them during their investigations, please contact Tim Kingston at 415-575-5543

###