An Open Letter from America's Human Rights and Democracy Community To U.S. Political Leaders

Photo by Chad Stembridge on Unsplash.

We join this letter from profound love of our country, and from personal experience with what freedom and democracy in the United States symbolize for people around the world.

In working to strengthen democracy and human rights overseas, we have seen nations overcome monumental crises in pursuit of freedom. So often these heroic acts have been inspired by the symbol of America at its best.

For generations, the United States has stood out as a beacon for people seeking to establish or strengthen democracy in their countries, often after years of nondemocratic rule. We have inspired others to seek the pillars of a free society, including:

• Commitment to the rule of law, to constitutionalism, and to human liberties;
• Government that derives its authority from free and fair elections based on universal suffrage.

We now face a challenge greater than many of us have ever experienced, a pandemic that will destroy lives, threaten our basic institutions, and test our character. To meet this challenge, we must live up to the great heritage that has helped America inspire freedom loving people around the world.

We urge our political leaders to embrace these principles:

• In this time of a global pandemic health crisis, we must find honorable compromises to strengthen our democratic institutions, starting with ensuring that the 2020 elections can take place consistent with the Constitution and in an inclusive, transparent, secure, and fair manner.
• Government “of the people, by the people, and for the people” depends upon elections that enable participation by all citizens. If we fall short of enabling full participation, we undermine the trust in government that is fundamental at all times, and essential in a time of crisis. Now more than ever we must do better.
• State and national legislators must recognize the absolutely unique circumstances that we find ourselves in today, and must help enable electoral procedures that do not require a choice between protecting health and exercising the franchise.
• Times of crisis demand government that is effective and trusted by the people. We must promote truthfulness and reasoned discourse, and combat disinformation, dishonesty, and rhetoric that undermines confidence in our democratic processes and our elections.
• To help lead the community of nations as the world recovers, the United States must continue to prioritize support for democracy and human rights, and must speak out against regimes that take advantage of the pandemic to undermine fundamental freedoms and democratic norms.

Signed,

(Affiliations are provided for identification purposes; signers participate in this letter in their individual capacities only.)  

Michael Abramowitz

President, Freedom House

Paige Alexander

Former Assistant Administrator, U.S. Agency for International Development

 J. Brian Atwood

Former Administrator, U.S. Agency for International Development;

Former President, National Democratic Institute

Susan Atwood

Former Regional Director, National Democratic Institute

 Dan Baer

Former U.S. Ambassador to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe

Frederick (Rick) Barton

Former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Conflict and Stabilization Operations;
Lecturer & Co-Director, Woodrow Wilson School Princeton University

 Howard Berman

Former Member of Congress;

Former Chair, House Foreign Affairs Committee

Eric Bjornlund

President, Democracy International

 Thomas Carothers

Vice President for Studies and Director Democracy and Rule of Law Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

David Carroll

Director, Democracy Program, The Carter Center

 Susan Corke

Executive Director, Trans-Atlantic Democracy Working Group, German Marshall Fund

Larry Diamond

Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution and Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford University

 Paul Fagan

Director of Human Rights and Democracy Programs, McCain Institute for International Leadership;

Former Africa Director, International Republican Institute

Mark Feierstein

Former Assistant Administrator, U.S. Agency for International Development;

Former Senior Director, National Security Council

 Steve Feldstein

Former U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor;

Frank and Bethine Church Chair of Public Affairs at Boise State University

Jeff Fischer

Former International Election Supervisor – Bosnia and Herzegovina, East Timor, and Kosovo

 Larry Garber

Former Mission Director West Bank/Gaza, U.S. Agency for International Development;

Former Senior Associate for Electoral Processes, National Democratic Institute

Jeffrey Gedmin

Former President, Radio Free Europe;

Editor, The American Interest

 Kevin Johnson

Executive Director, Election Reformers Network

Patricia Keefer

Project 18 Youth Vote;

Former Senior Associate, National Democratic Institute

 Monica Kladakis

Senior Advisor for Human Rights and Democracy, McCain Institute for International Leadership;

Project Manager, George Bush Presidential Center

Jim Kolbe

Former Member of Congress;

Former Chair, House Sub-Committee on Foreign Operations

 David J. Kramer

Former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor;

Former President, Freedom House

Stuart P. Krusell

Former Director of Operations for Iraq, International Republican Institute;

Senior Lecturer, MIT Sloan;

 James Kunder

Former Deputy Administrator, U.S. Agency for International Development

Barbara Langley

Former Country Director Romania, Bosnia, Mongolia, International Republican Institute;

Former Executive Director, Arab Women’s Leadership Institute

 Mark P. Lagon

Former U.S. Ambassador-at-Large responsible for Monitoring and Combating Trafficking in Persons;

Chief Policy Officer, Friends of the Global Fight Against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria

Scott Lansell

Former Senior Director, International Foundation for Electoral Systems;

Vice President for International Development, GeoPoll

 Lindsay Lloyd

Bradford M. Freeman Director of the Human Freedom Initiative, George W. Bush Institute;

Former Regional Director, International Republican Institute

Michael McFaul

Former U.S. Ambassador to Russia;

Director, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford University

 Edward McMahon

Former Regional Director, National Democratic Institute;

Adjunct Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Vermont

Thomas O. Melia

Former U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor;

Assistant Administrator, U.S. Agency for International Development

 Sarah E. Mendelson

Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations’ Economic and Social Council;

Distinguished Service Professor of Public Policy and Head of Heinz College, Carnegie Mellon University

James Michel

Former U.S. Ambassador to Guatemala;

Former Counselor, U.S. Agency for International Development

 Derek Mitchell

President, National Democratic Institute;

Former U.S. Ambassador to Burma (Myanmar)

Desaix (Terry) Myers

Former Professor, National War College;

Former Mission Director Indonesia and Russia, U.S. Agency for International Development

 Kent Patton

Former U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs

Mary Ann Peters

CEO, The Carter Center;

Former U.S. Ambassador to Bangladesh

 Liza Prendergast

Senior Director for Strategy and Outreach, Democracy International

Susan Reichle

Former Counselor, U.S. Agency for International Development

 Avery Davis Roberts

Associate Director, Democracy Program, The Carter Center

Nilmini Rubin

Managing Director & Co-Founder, Fix the System;

Former staff member, National Security Council

 Mark Schneider

Former U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs;

Former Director, U.S. Peace Corps

Eric Schwartz

Former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State, Population Refugees and Migration;

Former Senior Director, National Security Council

 Nancy Soderberg

Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations for Political Affairs;

Former Deputy Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs

William Sweeney

Former CEO, International Foundation for Electoral Systems

 Chris Vance

Former Chairman, Washington State Republican Party

Aaron Williams

Former Director, U.S. Peace Corps

 Christine Todd Whitman

Former Governor of New Jersey;

Former Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency

Kenneth Wollack

Former President, National Democratic Institute

Additional Signers:

[Affiliations included upon request]

Jenn Watts
May 1, 2020

Former Deputy Campaign Manager, Obama for America;
Founder, Every Girl Can STEM

Jeffrey Marburg-Goodman
May 1, 2020

Former Special Counsel to the U.S. Agency for International Development Administrator

 Mark Bartolini
May 1, 2020

Former Director, Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance, U.S. Agency for International Development

Roz Schwartz-Fein
May 1, 2020  Howard Sumka
May 1, 2020

Former Local Government and Democracy Officer, U.S. Agency for International Development

Jena Karim
May 2, 2020

Asia Advisor, National Democratic Institute

 John Brautigam
May 2, 2020

Member, Maine State Legislature

Anna Wang
May 2, 2020‍

 Rob Black
May 2, 2020

Former Liberia Project Advisor, The Carter Center;
Former Zambia Country Director, National Democratic Institute

Richard Terry
May 2, 2020

Common Cause

 Andrew Albertson
May 2, 2020

Founding Executive Director, Project on Middle East Democracy

Jennifer Cohan
May 2, 2020‍

 Lionel C. Johnson
May 2, 2020

Board Member, National Democratic Institute;
Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for International Development, Debt, and Environment Policy

Barry Singer
May 2, 2020  Cathy Duvall
May 3, 2020

Founder, Democracy Ascent Advisors

Taly Lind
May 3, 2020

Democracy and Governance Foreign Service Officer, US Agency for International Development

 Susan Kupperstein
May 3, 2020

Former Senior Program Officer, Iraq, National Democratic Institute;
Senior Director, Crisis Conflict and Governance, International Business and Technology Consultants, Inc.

Debbie Goldman
May 3, 2020‍

 Kristina Wilfore
May 3, 2020

Former Resident Director, National Democratic Institute;
Chief of Party, International Foundation for Electoral Systems

Barbara Smith
May 6, 2020

Former Director for Afghanistan and Pakistan, National Security Council;
Former Deputy Assistant to the Administrator for Policy, Planning, and Learning at the U.S. Agency for International Development

 Joseph A. Esposito
May 6, 2020

Former Deputy Under Secretary for International Affairs, U.S. Department of Education

Jarod Mooney
May 11, 2020

Associate Director of Development, Ambassador’s Circle, The Carter Center

 Ann Colville Murphy
May 12, 2020

Attorney

Joseph A. Hennessey
May 12, 2020

Attorney at Law

 Mike Marshall
May 12, 2020

Former Senior Program Officer, National Democratic Institute

Alan Khazei
May 13, 2020

Co-Founder City Year;Founder, Democracy Entrepreneurs

 Maggie Christie Keohan
May 15, 2020

Former Program Officer, Russia & Ukraine, National Democratic Institute

Susan Friedman
May 19, 2020  Dr. Amy Anderson
May 19, 2020Candice Brower
May 19, 2020  Hugh Brown
May 20, 2020Aubrey Menardt
May 20, 2020

International Elections Observer

 Rick LaRue
May 22, 2020

Former Deputy Director of the Eisenhower Institute and of the American Society of International Law

Lori van Dam
May 22, 2020  

James E. Tierney
May 23, 2020

Former Attorney General of Maine, Lecturer in Law, Harvard Law School

Jed Ober
May 23, 2020

Democracy International

 Avram Reisman
May 23, 2020

Formerly with Democracy International

Kirby Neuner
May 23, 2020

Formerly with Democracy International, Incoming at The U.S. Agency for International Development

 William Condon
May 23, 2020Aleksandra Zaytseva
May 23, 2020

National Endowment for Democracy

 Rick Ferreira
May 23, 2020Patricia Alejandro
May 24, 2020

Democracy International

 Terry Hoverter
May 24, 2020

Creative Associates International

Kevin Russell
May 24, 2020  Grayson Lewis
May 25, 2020

Former Project Assistant, National Democratic Institute

Emily Bremner
May 25, 2020

Former Program Manager, Office of Transition Initiatives at the U.S. Agency for International Development

 Andrea Steward
May 26, 2020

Democracy International

Abby Cohen
May 26, 2020

Democracy International

   Claire Robertson
May 26, 2020

Director, Strategy and Outreach, Democracy International

Al Vanderklipp
May 27, 2020

Election Reform Fellow, Election Reformers Network

 Gina Bjornlund
May 29, 2020

Democracy International

Tracy Igberaese
May 31, 2020

 Sameera Ali
June 10, 2020‍

Former Director at NDI and Democracy International

Jennifer Butz
June 10, 2020

 Shayna L. Hamilton
June 11, 2020

Mike Stover
June 12, 2020