States rebuff Russian request to observe election

Several states have rebuffed requests from Russian officials to study the election process after GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump doubled down on his claim that the U.S. elections are “rigged.”

Oklahoma, Louisiana and Texas rejected requests from Alexander Zakharov, the Russian consul general in Houston, to allow Russian monitors, according to USA Today.

{mosads}State Department deputy spokesman Mark Toner described the Russian move as a “PR stunt,” according to the report.

“I hope that you are able to view the televised election process on Nov. 8, 2016, as citizens of the United States select the country’s next president,” Oklahoma Secretary of State Chris Benge wrote in response to the Russian official, according to Tulsa World.

Louisiana Secretary of State Tom Schedler said that such a visit would be inappropriate, citing the recent flooding in the state. 

“I wish you success with your request in other states and appreciate your interest in our voting process,” he said.

Schedler’s spokeswoman, Meg Casper, called the move a “propaganda ploy,” saying Louisiana has “allowed observers from overseas in the past from other countries, never from Russia,” according to USA Today.

She added that the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI “told us not to do this.”

Texas Secretary of State Carlos Cascos echoed the response from the other officials, stating that state law only allows election observers that are specifically authorized by law.

The Russian request to monitor U.S. elections comes in the wake of accusations that Moscow is attempting to influence the outcome of the U.S. presidential race by leaking hacked documents from Democratic officials.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has also been critical of international efforts to monitor Russian elections in the past, often blasting the U.S. Electoral College system as undemocratic.