In 1975, the United States and many nations in Europe signed the Helsinki Accords, to set minimum standards for human rights in each of the signing nations. In 1990 the treaty was expanded to include political rights, and ODIHR (Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights) was established to monitor how each nation is doing.

ODHIR observed the U.S. elections of 2006, and on March 9, 2007, issued a report about U.S. compliance with the Treaty. The report can be seen here. Pages 8 and 9 criticize excessive ballot access petition requirements in certain states. Pennsylvania is singled out as a bad example. Footnote 23 says, “For example, in Pennsylvania for the 7 November election this meant 57,000 signatures.” Actually, the footnote is slightly in error; the actual requirement was 67,070 signatures. Thanks to Michael Richardson for finding the ODIHR Report.