Story highlights The State Department calls the reports from Russia a "PR stunt"

Russia's interest in the election comes as Donald Trump has claimed it's rigged

Washington (CNN) Three states have said "nyet" to a Russian request to send its diplomats to monitor polling stations on Election Day, according to letters from state officials provided to CNN.

Oklahoma, Texas and Louisiana turned down the request from the Russian consulate in Houston. Louisiana Secretary of State Tom Schedler wrote that recent flooding had left his office extremely short-staffed trying to deal with the damage and prepare adequately for the vote on November 8. "Had this flood event not occurred, we certainly would have been open to such a visit," he told Consul General Alexander Zakharov.

Both Oklahoma and Texas denied the Russian proposal citing state laws that prohibit it.

"While it would be our honor to offer the opportunity to observe our voting process, it is prohibited under state law to allow anyone except election officials and voters in or around the area where the voting takes place," the Oklahoma secretary of state's office wrote to the Russians. "I hope that you are able to view the televised election process on November 8, 2016, as citizens of the United States select the country's next president. It is truly an amazing system."

Texas Secretary of State Carlos H. Cascos also denied the request, explaining in a letter to the Russians, "only persons authorized by law may be inside of a polling location during voting. All other persons are not authorized and would be committing a class C misdemeanor crime by entering."

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