In an electoral climate fraught with allegations of misconduct and fraud, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) has sent nearly 250 international observers to the United States. Among them are two Swiss. The goal of the observer mission is to boost public trust in the electoral process. How does this work in practice? “I arrived in the United States on October 3. After a briefing session in Washington, I set off for Salem, the capital of Oregon. Now I am in Burns,” explains one of the Swiss observers, Sascha Alderisi, an election expert from canton Ticino. It is early morning in the US. Over the phone, he tells us that he has been travelling from town to town for more than two weeks, together with another observer from Norway. “We visit county election offices, meet with officials and civil society organisations and check how preparations are going for the vote on November 5,” he explains. Alderisi is part of the OSCE election observation mission. First ...
