Following his observations at Colombia’s presidential election on Sunday, Senator Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) commended the country’s voting system, labeling it as “world class” and suggesting it could serve as a model for the U.S.
In a media call on Tuesday, Sen. Moreno shared insights from his experience, especially in light of outgoing President Gustavo Petro’s claims of election fraud. Moreno rated the election process positively, saying Colombian authorities deserved an “A+” for their management, emphasizing that Petro’s chosen successor, Sen. Iván Cepeda, has stood by the election results, countering Petro’s allegations.
Sen. Moreno explained that Colombians can only vote with a government-issued ID, ballots are manually completed and counted, and mail-in voting is prohibited. Even voters outside Colombia must cast their ballots in person at a consulate. He indicated that if the U.S. adopted even a few of these practices, such as requiring voter ID, it could enhance electoral integrity. Currently, Congress is considering a bill potentially aligning U.S. voting rules with those in Colombia, but Democrats have criticized it as discriminatory, drawing parallels to historical voting restrictions.
In Colombia, the presidential election included 14 candidates, with no one securing more than 50% of votes, leading to a runoff between the top two. Conservative outsider candidate Abelardo de la Espriela won 43.74% of the votes, edging out Sen. Iván Cepeda, who received 40.90%. Sen. Paloma Valencia, another conservative candidate, came third and quickly backed de la Espriela.
“Colombia’s elections were actually conducted very well,” Moreno noted. “The voting process offers insights for the U.S. They require full proof of citizenship for national ID, which one needs before voting.” He elaborated that voters must show their ID when collecting their ballots and, in some locations, measures like fingerprinting or facial recognition are implemented to deter fraud.
“All ballots are hand-counted on paper; machine voting doesn’t exist there,” he continued. Furthermore, Colombia holds elections on a single day without mail-in options, with overseas voting restricted to consulates.
Sen. Moreno asserted that several of Colombia’s election security measures could benefit the U.S. “The way votes are counted and the requirement for voter ID — relative to the SAVE America Act, what we do here looks amateurish. Mandating voter ID and proof of citizenship isn’t voter suppression,” he argued.
The SAVE America Act under discussion mandates U.S. voters to present proof of citizenship and a photo ID to vote, though it wouldn’t restrict IDs to a single type or enforce biometric checks, unlike Colombia’s system. The Democratic Party has largely opposed these reforms, equating them to past discriminatory practices.
Moreno remarked, “Colombia has many more poor individuals than the U.S., yet the turnout there is impressive. Perhaps some of the claims about voter suppression here are overstated.” Despite the integrity of Colombia’s electoral methods, President Petro has alleged evidence of fraud affecting candidate Cepeda. However, Cepeda himself has stated he found no wrongdoing, and international observers have reported no extensive illegal activity.
“The data cannot be altered or manipulated,” said Esteban González Pons, who oversees the European Union Monitoring Mission.
In response to Petro’s allegations, Moreno pointed out the extensive observation of the elections, with numerous people present, including Petro’s party. “The candidate who received the second-most votes acknowledged no wrongdoing,” he added.
Moreno criticized Petro’s statements, seeing them as disrespectful to the immense effort of Colombians involved in the election and the 24 million voters who participated.
Looking ahead, Moreno mentioned his invitation to act as an international observer for the upcoming runoff on June 21. He expressed concerns about potential vote-buying tactics, especially given the potential vulnerabilities in runoff elections. He stressed that anyone found engaging in such activities, particularly in sensitive regions, could face significant repercussions, including visa revocations.
“Anyone involved in vote buying should be reported to OFAC. We need to ensure accountability and consider revoking visas for those implicated,” he warned.
