Over the weekend, I had the honor of traveling to Romania, at the invitation of their Permanent Electoral Authority, to observe the first round of its presidential election held on May 4. I witnessed firsthand an electoral process that not only met, but in many ways exceeded, international democratic standards. As a member of the Federal Election Commission, I’ve observed elections around the globe, and Romania’s system stands out as a model of transparency, security, and civic dedication.

Voting across Romania proceeded in an orderly fashion, with strong safeguards in place. Every vote was cast using a paper ballot, and the entire ballot-counting process was not only done in the presence of poll watchers from every political party but also recorded on video to guarantee transparency. There were no delays in reporting results. In fact, the entire country completed its electoral count within hours of polls closing — a testament to both the simplicity and the integrity of the process.