IV 
113TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. RES. 591 
Commending the Government of Afghanistan for certifying the results of 
the national election held on April 5, 2014, and urging the Government 
of Afghanistan to continue to pursue a ‘‘transparent, credible, and inclu-
sive’’ run-off presidential election on June 14, 2014, while ensuring 
the safety of voters and candidates. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 21, 2014 
Mr. GRAYSON submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on 
Armed Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speak-
er, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the ju-
risdiction of the committee concerned 
RESOLUTION 
Commending the Government of Afghanistan for certifying 
the results of the national election held on April 5, 
2014, and urging the Government of Afghanistan to 
continue to pursue a ‘‘transparent, credible, and inclu-
sive’’ run-off presidential election on June 14, 2014, 
while ensuring the safety of voters and candidates. 
Whereas, on May 11, 2013, in Kabul, Afghanistan, United 
States Deputy Secretary of State William Burns stated: 
‘‘a successful political transition is an essential pre-
requisite for sustainable security. It is vitally important 
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that the elections next April be transparent, credible, and 
inclusive.’’; 
Whereas, on July 9, 2013, the United States Senate unani-
mously agreed to S. Res. 151: ‘‘A resolution urging the 
Government of Afghanistan to ensure transparent and 
credible presidential and provincial elections in April 
2014 by adhering to internationally accepted democratic 
standards, establishing a transparent electoral process, 
and ensuring security for voters and candidates.’’; 
Whereas, on April 5, 2014, the Government of Afghanistan 
held the first round of a presidential election; 
Whereas, on May 15, 2014, the Independent Election Com-
mission of Afghanistan (‘‘IEC’’) certified the results of 
the national election held 40 days prior, and announced 
a run-off election date of June 14, 2014, for the two top 
presidential candidate vote recipients; 
Whereas voter participation increased from approximately 35 
percent in the 2009 Afghan presidential election to al-
most 60 percent for the election held on April 5, 2014, 
and the percentage of newly registered female voters 
slightly increased; 
Whereas the 2009 Afghan presidential election experienced 
low female voter turnout due to the insufficient number 
of female poll workers, and the United Nations Develop-
ment Programme’s Law and Order Trust Fund for Af-
ghanistan approved a Ministry of Interior request to fund 
the hiring of 13,000 female election security officers in 
order to bolster female voter turnout for the 2014 presi-
dential election—but 40 out of Afghanistan’s 407 dis-
tricts still did not have female election staff due to secu-
rity concerns; 
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Whereas the Government of Afghanistan eliminated text mes-
saging capabilities the evening prior to the 2014 presi-
dential election until 5:00 p.m. on election day—greatly 
inhibiting monitoring efforts by international organiza-
tions—explaining that the decision was made in response 
to two candidates sending more than one million text 
messages during the ‘‘silent period’’ and to combat fur-
ther advertising—an explanation denied by the Chairman 
of the IEC who requested that texting capabilities be re-
stored; 
Whereas members of the National Democratic Institute 
(‘‘NDI’’) were killed during an attack at the Serena 
Hotel in Kabul on March 20, 2014, causing NDI to re-
move significant numbers of staff from Afghanistan and 
spreading fear among other monitors; 
Whereas a run-off date of June 14, 2014, means the snows 
will have melted across Afghanistan, allowing the Taliban 
to move more freely, leading to a greater chance of dis-
ruption during the run-off presidential election; 
Whereas some candidates, and some campaign staff, have 
proclaimed that should their opponents prevail, Afghani-
stan will be a less secure nation in which more civilians 
will die—thereby creating a climate that is not conducive 
to democratic transition; 
Whereas some polling places used the entirety of their allot-
ted 600 ballots in one to two hours leading some can-
didates, or their representatives, to call for more bal-
lots—even though it is highly implausible that so many 
ballots could be exhausted in such a short time; and 
Whereas the United States contributed approximately $175 
million toward conducting the 2009 Afghan presidential 
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election, and will contribute approximately $200 million 
toward the 2014 Afghan presidential election: Now, 
therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) commends the Government of Afghanistan 
for holding the first round of a presidential election 
on April 5, 2014, and for preparing for the peaceful 
transition to a new government, in accordance with 
the rule of law; 
(2) encourages the Government of Afghanistan 
to continue to pursue the standard of ‘‘transparent, 
credible, and inclusive’’ for the constitutionally re-
quired run-off presidential election to be held on 
June 14, 2014; 
(3) supports the mandate of Afghan electoral 
bodies such as the Independent Election Commission 
and Elections Complaints Commission to administer, 
adjudicate, and manage polls, as well as oversee 
logistical and technical preparations in a trans-
parent, fair, and credible manner to prevent fraud 
and misconduct; 
(4) encourages the Government of Afghanistan 
to implement measures that will increase voter par-
ticipation—particularly among the Afghan female 
population, and salutes the bravery of the citizenry 
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in facing violence, and even death, to exercise their 
holy right to vote and determine their own destiny; 
(5) encourages, on the other hand, the Govern-
ment of Afghanistan to not use security as an excuse 
to shut down polling sites where there are minimal 
security threats, at the expense of some candidates 
and to the benefit of others; 
(6) encourages all elements of Afghan society, 
not just the recognized insurgency, to restrain them-
selves and their supporters from fomenting violence 
and other disturbances in voting areas; 
(7) advises, in the strongest terms, that the 
Ministry of Communications leave texting capabili-
ties functional on election day; 
(8) commends the Afghan Government for re-
ducing the number of casualties experienced on elec-
tion day, and urges the ANSF to continue to make 
every necessary effort to ensure the safety of voters 
and candidates during the June 14, 2014, presi-
dential run-off, including greater coordination be-
tween NATO’s International Security Assistance 
Force (‘‘ISAF’’) and ANSF forces when deploying 
troops to protect vote-counters, members of the IEC 
and IECC, and members of international organiza-
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tions dedicated to, and engaged in, election moni-
toring; 
(9) solemnly remembers those members of the 
ANSF who gave their lives protecting their democ-
racy 
on 
April 
5, 
2014, 
and 
honors 
those 
servicemembers from United States, coalition, and 
Afghan forces who have been killed or injured since 
October 2001 in defense of the democratic rights of 
the Afghan people; 
(10) calls on the Government of Afghanistan to 
continue to combat instances of voter fraud and im-
prove the transparency of the polling and counting 
processes—particularly by opening the processes of 
vote counting and complaint resolution to both can-
didate and international monitors; 
(11) supports the United Nations mandate to 
use its offices to assist Afghan electoral bodies and 
other stakeholders with technical preparations and 
the promotion of a timely and inclusive democratic 
process so that the results of the presidential run- 
off election will reflect the will of the people, leading 
to broad acceptance; 
(12) recommends a pause in the drawdown of 
United States and ISAF security, intelligence, and 
diplomatic assets until June 14, 2014; 
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(13) recognizes the substantial investments 
made by United States taxpayers in support of sta-
bility, democracy, and the rule of law in Afghani-
stan, including efforts to end public corruption; 
(14) reaffirms the policy position of the United 
States that ‘‘successful political transition is an es-
sential prerequisite for sustainable security’’ in Af-
ghanistan, and legitimate governance is important to 
ensuring its long-term stability; and 
(15) concurs in the United States Senate’s urg-
ing of the U.S. Secretary of State to condition finan-
cial and logistical support for future Afghanistan 
elections on the implementation of reforms that 
would increase female participation and combat 
fraud throughout the electoral process. 
Æ 
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