Voices for Haiti is a coalition of 75 local and national nongovernmental organizations united to promote US policies that support democracy and human rights in Haiti.

This statement presents the findings of a 62-member U.S. citizen election observer mission accredited by the Provisional Electoral Council and co-sponsored by Voices for Haiti.

Our delegation was nongovernmental, nonpartisan, and independent. A large majority of delegates traveled to Haiti at their own expense. Many participated in election monitoring during Haiti's 1990 elections as well as polling in other countries. In total, teams visited some 200 polling and counting sites in urban and remote areas including several not visited by other international observers.

Haiti's June 25 elections demonstrated the determination of millions of Haitian citizens to participate in the democratic process and voice their political will. That the elections succeeded virtually without violence is remarkable when one recalls Haiti's electoral history and that nine short months ago, Haiti was under a military dictatorship where political expression was met with brutal force.

Across the country, our teams were impressed by election officials, who, with few exceptions, worked steadfastly to guarantee the integrity of a very complex process. In contrast to well-financed foreign observer teams, these Haitians endured twelve hours of polling in severe heat often without food, and meticulously counted ballots by candlelight well into the night; many walked for hours to deliver the ballots to the counting sites — all for the equivalent of 10 U.S. dollars. Election officials frequently requested our presence during the critical vote counting process and transportation of ballots following the count.

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In many polling sites, the electoral process was smooth and orderly. However, our teams did witness a wide array of irregularities, including shortages of materials, problems with voter lists, late openings, lack of secrecy, and incidents of intimidation of voters and election officials by political partisans, particularly in areas where candidates were left off the ballot. Teams observed only isolated instances of fraud, such as voting by underage persons and double voting. Voting was canceled in a few locations in response to sometimes violent protests by candidates and their supporters.

In all of the sites we observed, monitors representing a broad spectrum of political parties were present to oversee voting, vote counting and transportation of ballots. In some cases, monitors engaged in intimidating behavior and compromised the secrecy of the ballot. Insufficient training of election workers, crowded conditions, and the need for assistance among illiterate voters also contributed to secrecy problems and general confusion in some areas.

In the face of confusion, long lines, fear for personal security, and canceled polling in some areas, the voters' determination was underscored in Carrefour, outside of Port-au-Prince, where polling went forward after one election official was shot on the site early that morning. Fortunately, the Electoral Council has announced that complementary elections will soon be held in areas where voters were denied the opportunity to vote on June 25.

In our judgement, the irregularities we witnessed were not the product of a concerted attempt on the part of any political group nor the electoral apparatus to alter the outcome of the process, nor was that the effect. An overwhelming majority of these irregularities resulted from disorganization — not surprising to observers familiar with Haiti, given the country's transportation, communication, and resource deficiencies, a shortened electoral timetable, and inexperience in the process of democratic elections. Several team members reported similar irregularities during the 1990 elections, which were deemed free and fair by the international community.

Our findings are shared by other international observers, with one exception — the US-funded International Republican Institute, which has suggested that election irregularities were an organized effort to skew the outcome. However, IRI documents and correspondence by the delegation's leader, Representative Porter Goss, reveal the group's clear bias against the Lavalas movement allied with President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, and call into question IRI's credibility as an independent, objective observer.

In conclusion, we strongly believe that these elections represent a significant step in the Haitian people's struggle for democracy. We call upon the US Congress to support the next step in the struggle — institutional and economic reforms necessary to promote justice and long-term development for Haiti's poor majority.