Joe McHugh
Joe McHugh

As Facebook announces that it uncovered a political influence campaign, presumably tied to Russia, to interfere in the crucial mid-term election, Ireland plans to do its best to make sure the US vote is on the up and up.

Ireland, which has dispatched election monitors throughout the world, plans to send them here to observe the Nov. 6 tally.

In 2017, Ireland election monitors were active in Albania, Turkey, Mongolia, Liberia, Kenya, Kosovo, Nepal and the Kyrgyz Republic, according to the Irish Times. That’s not exactly good company for the US, which arguably is the world’s oldest democracy.

Joe McHugh, Ireland’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, said Ireland’s standard practice is to send monitors to observe elections in “emerging countries” outside of the EU, Canada and the US.

But times certainly have changed.

Ireland has issued a call for volunteers to arrive in Washington on Oct. 6 and return home on Nov. 11.

Meanwhile, president Trump today called for Attorney General Jeff Sessions to end special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

Those Irish election observers are needed more than ever.