The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has declined to invite international observers from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) to the midterm elections to Congress, which will take place on November 3, 2026. This is the first such case since 2002, when the OSCE began regularly sending missions to observe federal elections in the United States.
Election observation is carried out by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR). Since 2002, the organization has observed 12 federal elections in the U.S., including six midterms. During the 2024 elections, the OSCE mission assessed the process as “well-run.”
White House spokesperson Lauren Bis stated that “no other nation has done more to advance the cause of human freedom and representative government. American elections will be administered, participated in, and observed by American citizens.”
The State Department explained that the OSCE “should focus its limited resources on elections where it can have the greatest impact.” At the same time, the U.S. Department of Justice plans to deploy its own monitors to polling places.
On September 23, ODIHR and the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly described the decision as “regrettable” and noted that it is “not in line” with the United States’ commitments under the 1990 Copenhagen Document, under which participating states agree to invite international observers.
President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Pere Joan Pons called the refusal “a significant departure from an established democratic practice.” ODIHR Director Maria Telalian emphasized that observation is not a “judgment” on a country but provides an independent assessment of the process.
Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen (ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee) said the decision is “deeply antithetical to the spirit of freedom, democracy and transparency” and “risks undermining public trust” in America’s election system. Human Rights Watch noted that the refusal heightens concerns the upcoming elections.
The decision places the United States in the same category as Russia and Belarus—countries that have also declined to invite OSCE observers. Critics link the move to broader actions by the administration regarding the electoral process and note that the presence of international observers has traditionally been seen as a signal of transparency.
OSCE observers have no authority to interfere in the process and do not determine the legitimacy of elections—their reports are advisory in nature. Nevertheless, the absence of an invitation for the first time in more than two decades has become a notable precedent.
