Sport is a bipartisan attraction in America today. No matter your party, you probably enjoy engaging in or following some matchup that takes it to the mat, court, or gridiron.
Before starting in team or solo competition of all kinds, opponents recognize a moment devoted to ensuring fair play. Before a jump ball, kickoff, or starting position, players agree by the rules of the game, which forms a consent for how their behavior and the game’s outcomes will be judged.
These moments are often led by referees or officials who are there to observe the sport rather than compete.
In our world today, we have a well-tested body within the United Nations that is similarly dedicated to refereeing peaceful election processes within distressed nations. A body which has been deployed to peacefully facilitate elections around the world, and can address issues of domestic impartialities, or fraud. In fact, more than 100 countries have requested and have received United Nations electoral assistance since 1991.
This body was created by the post-WWII legacy of American-led foreign policy to ensure a vital part of the democratic process — the quality of elections.
To receive assistance, Member States must file a request with the UN, so that their state’s needs can be properly assessed and access arranged.
Even with voting already underway in the States, it’s not too late to make this request if concern is voiced by the head of government or minister of foreign affairs. In fact, the President has already said as much during the first debate this week.
We, the People should take his call to action seriously by inviting the UN to provide election monitoring this November. Certainly it would be wonderful if all of America’s fans could support each other in this way!
Like in the fair play of sport, all players, or in this case citizens, stand to benefit from ensuring our country has a “nice clean vote.”
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