I’ve said it before, and at the risk of repeating myself, I’ll repeat myself.

If I see an “international observer” from Ethiopia at my polling place on November 2, I won’t be responsible for my actions. Whatever happens will be Jimmy Carter’s fault. Outside Observers to Monitor Elections.

WASHINGTON - The United States, accustomed to giving advice on democracy, is in the unfamiliar position of getting some from international election observers schooled in Tajikistan, Ethiopia and other emerging democracies.

Two observer groups have been examining U.S. voting systems for compliance with international standards for free and fair elections. The very idea disgusts some Republicans, who say it sends a message of weakness and compromises U.S. sovereignty. Some Democrats say the scrutiny is overdue.

Former President Carter, for one, has said some U.S. voting systems don’t meet international standards “even as many other nations are conducting elections that are internationally certified to be transparent, honest and fair.”

The observers already have found problems typical in countries with far less than 200 years of voting experience.