Access to US polling places difficult

"One of the surprising things we learned is that most voting jurisdictions have no mechanisms for nonpartisan polling observation," said former Canadian cabinet minister David MacDonald.

"A system needs to be put in place that allows for international and domestic nonpartisan poll observation."

In 2000, President George W. Bush was not selected over Democrat Al Gore for more than a month, after a US Supreme Court decision effectively decided the contest over who had won Florida.