TRAVIS COUNTY (KXAN) — The Republican Party plans to recruit up to 50,000 poll watchers nationwide.
Republicans say it’s to protect against voter fraud, while some Democrats worry about voter intimidation.
President Trump and other Republicans are encouraging their supporters to show up as “poll watchers” at local polling locations.
As Texans head to the polls to cast their ballots this year, they will also be joined by poll watchers.
“Their job is to make sure that as long as they can observe, the election workers, the election judges, the alternates, everybody is obeying the law,” said Brian Ruddle, Executive Director of the Travis County Republicans.
“A poll watcher’s job is to make sure every vote that walks in to the ballot box is able to be cast,” said Katie Naranjo, Travis County Democratic Party chair.
Not just anyone can claim the title, though.
“You have to be credentialed and there are restrictions,” said Travis County Clerk, Dana DeBeauvoir.
Poll watchers are simply there to observe and report if they see something wrong.
They’re not allowed to speak with voters or interfere in any way with the election process.
“Obviously, we can’t have a poll watcher walking up and standing over someone’s shoulder watching them vote,” Ruddle said.
In 1981, the Democratic National Committee sued Republicans, accusing them of sending armed, off-duty police officers to the polls in minority neighborhoods. In court, they reached a settlement that restricted the national party’s ability to coordinate the use of poll watchers. The consent decree expired in 2017, and a judge in 2018 declined to extend it.
“We know the election workers are very well-trained and I don’t think we use the poll watchers to try to have an atmosphere of threatening or intimidation,” Ruddle said.
Naranjo says there are some who are concerned about intimidation, but says she is not seeing a coordinated effort to intimidate voters in Travis County.
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