Watching the Polls

• Poll watchers are volunteers from both parties or from more than two parties. They are not paid by the party. Their function is to monitor or observe how the precinct voting is being handled. They may not wear political pins, carry signs or discuss issues with voters. They may not watch the actual voting whether by ballot or machine.
  
  

Training

• Republican poll watchers and any others are generally trained by experienced watchers or by party officials. The training is quite brief, lasting one hour or less. Poll watchers, of either party, are authorized to challenge voters whose identity does not seem clear. For example, a voter who cannot recite his full name, his address and his birthdate may be fraudulent.
  
  

Disputes

• Poll watching for either political party is not easy because of the many possible disputes over the legality of voter registration. Some challenges, like the request for name, address and birthdate, may seem insulting or disparaging to voters whose objections may delay the procedures for other voters. Some practices, like requiring voters to show identification, are still undecided or unclear and may cause contention in the polling place.
  
  

Responsibility

• The right to vote in the United States is a Constitutional privilege afforded to adults who are citizens, who are who they say they are, who live where they say they live and who are legally registered to vote within a precinct. The responsibility of any poll watcher is to insure that duly registered citizens are allowed to vote and that their votes are counted. Conversely, people who do not qualify may not vote or have an illicit vote counted.