...and even though some say the Bush adminstration has them in their hip pocket, their report wasn't exactly glowing.
http://www.osce.org/documents/odihr/2004/11/3779_en.pdfSome quotes:
"However, the way in which election administrators are appointed may raise questions of possible conflict of interest, in particular when election officials run for office or act as campaign managers."
"It is to be hoped that future reforms will further enhance consistency regarding the following: voter registration criteria and procedures; rules for issuing, verifying and counting provisional ballots; voter identification requirements; absentee voting by eligible citizens living abroad."
"Allegations of electoral fraud and voter suppression, primarily among minorities, were widely reported and presented to the EOM in the pre-election period."
"A coherent approach to such issues is highly desirable, addressing both fraud prevention and ensuring full enfranchisement. Suffrage is best protected when both election administrators and voters themselves take responsibility for ensuring that voter lists are accurately and well-maintained."
"However, in other states, access was not possible or was limited."
"There were, however, some concerns, for instance in relation to the use of provisional ballots and occasional problems with DRE (direct recording electronic) machines."
"Very long queues were reported in many areas, with polling stations lacking the capacity to ensure a reasonably prompt throughput of voters."
"Significant delays at the polling station are likely to deter some voters from voting and may restrict the right to vote. While a solution to this problem may have cost implications, it is clearly desirable that steps are taken to reduce delays in future elections."