[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 85 (Thursday, June 23, 2005)]
[House]
[Page H5079]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         STOP COUNTERFEIT POLLS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. McCaul of Texas). Under a previous order 
of the House, the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Terry) is recognized for 
5 minutes.
  Mr. TERRY. Mr. Speaker, today I want to call attention to the June 25 
Bulgarian and July 3 Albanian parliamentary elections. Voters in these 
developing economies deserve the opportunity to exercise the freedoms 
that were unavailable to them for so long.
  As the world's greatest democracy, we should strive to foster the 
ideals of freedom in these developing democracies. Free and fair 
elections are the first essential step in this long and arduous 
process.
  As a member of the International Anti-Piracy Caucus, I am a proud 
supporter of international intellectual property protection.
  As Albania and Bulgaria move through the election process, they 
should understand that part of the process of becoming free is making 
sure that applicable laws are in force both locally and 
internationally. Failure to punish those that disregard laws will mean 
that these countries will not become accepted players on the world 
stage for some time to come.
  Part of the process for providing free and fair elections is 
respecting and enforcing the intellectual property rights of American 
businesses assisting in these elections.
  Therefore, I call upon the sitting governments of these two nations, 
including their justice ministries and central election commissions, to 
condemn the distribution of counterfeit Gallup polls that are being 
used to distort the democratic process during their parliamentary 
elections.
  Promotion of democracy is one of the core pillars of our national 
security policy. Bulgaria and Albania are both important allies in the 
war on terror. It is essential that the elected leadership of these two 
great nations remain committed to defeating, preserving, and extending 
freedom and the rule of law. The citizens of these great countries have 
already made substantial progress in the fight for democracy. It is 
unfortunate, however, that a small segment of society has chosen to act 
nefariously in an attempt to distort the election process by misuse of 
the Gallup name.
  George H. Gallup, the founder of the Gallup Poll, felt that providing 
a voice to all people around the world would strengthen societies to 
help ensure accountability of elected representatives. Unfortunately, 
Mr. Gallup's mission is being tainted by a group of counterfeiters in 
both Bulgaria and Albania.
  These organizations are conducting electoral polling under the Gallup 
name without permission or license, while all the while receiving 
American support through USAID. These actions constitute a clear 
violation of Gallup's intellectual property rights and, perhaps more 
importantly, taint the reputation that Gallup has rightfully earned 
during its 70 years of existence.
  While it is true that Gallup is a major employer with its 
headquarters in my district, Gallup has been active across the country 
during their existence, providing polling in every Presidential 
election and several senatorial and congressional elections during that 
time period. Gallup might employ a number of my constituents, but it is 
a strong national company with a solid international reputation as 
well. To see this reputation tarnished with the aid of taxpayer dollars 
is not only a serious mismanagement of government funds but 
reprehensible conduct as well.
  Mr. Speaker, USAID ought to provide better oversight of the work 
conducted under their name overseas, and I have called upon them to 
provide an explanation regarding this matter. Additionally, Congress 
should do all it can to help ensure that American companies and 
American intellectual property rights are protected overseas without 
the willful and wanton negligence of American governmental 
institutions.
  Mr. Speaker, I hope that my colleagues will join me in this call for 
free and fair elections in Bulgaria and Albania, and support my request 
to stop the counterfeit polls from being distributed.

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