Planning to vote in person Nov. 3? Here’s what to know about poll watchers, poll workers
As claims about election insecurity continue to circulate, Pennsylvania and Centre County officials are working to reassure voters that ballots will be handled safely and securely, regardless of how they are cast.
From mail-in voting to secure ballot drop boxes, officials have taken steps to increase election accessibility and security, but staff are also preparing poll workers so they’re equipped to handle election equipment and abide by proper procedures when voters turn out in person on Nov. 3.
“Our team, as well as the other 66 county elections offices, are recruiting and training poll workers, processing voter registration, applications for absentee ballots and mail-in ballots, preparing voting machines and so much more to ultimately ensure the security and safety of every vote,” Commissioner Michael Pipe said during an August press conference with Gov. Tom Wolf. “As electors, each of us should know that our respective county elections offices are committed to their work and guaranteeing the fairness of our elections process.”
What are poll workers?
Poll workers must be registered to vote in the county in which they volunteer, and they are not permitted to hold an elected office or be government employees.
They generally work for the entire day on Election Day — from before polls open at 7 a.m. until they close at 8 p.m. — and are paid a stipend for training and hours worked.
Each precinct has a judge of elections, majority inspector and minority inspector who make up the local election board for every polling place. The judge of elections is the person in charge and works with each inspector to manage the precinct, keep track of the number of voters and see that returns are delivered to the county election office at the end of Election Day.
How are poll workers trained?
Counties are responsible for training poll workers prior to their duties on Election Day.
“We do provide training prior to every election that we have,” Jodi Nedd, Centre County election coordinator, said Thursday. “We do have a manual that essentially goes over every single thing a poll worker does, what procedures they have to do and in the order in which they need to be done.”
The manual also includes frequently asked questions that officials have on hand before, during and after the election.
“If they want some hands-on with the equipment, practicing to put it together, open up the polls, close the polls, I do schedule one-on-one appointments for them to come in and be able to do that with a demo unit,” Nedd said.
Last week, a Luzerne County temporary election worker threw away nine overseas mail-in ballots. Some leaders, including President Donald Trump, used the incident as a way to support claims of voter fraud. But Pennsylvania Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar said it was a mistake, resulting from little training.
“There were ballots that were sent from remote areas of the globe, so they were remote overseas ballots that look different than traditional ballots,” Boockvar said Wednesday, adding that the temporary worker, who has since been fired, was not properly trained. “Luckily, it was caught immediately by the county election director, who immediately reported it.”
The matter is being investigated by local, state and federal authorities.
Nedd said Centre County has never had a situation like what occurred in Luzerne, but to prevent it from happening, she said temporary workers undergo “thorough” training to ensure they understand proper voting procedures.
“Those that are doing the mail, for the first several days or when anyone new comes in to help us with that process, one of the normal, everyday, full-time county election employees is with them, explaining to them what this is and where it needs to go,” she said. “If this envelope says this, looks like this or looks like that, timestamp it, and it goes here.”
Nedd added that the Centre County elections office is small, so if volunteers have questions, full-time staff members are not too far away to supervise and provide answers.
Pipe said the county will be posting presentations from Centre County election training sessions before Nov. 3.
What are poll watchers?
Poll watchers are people, appointed by political parties, who are assigned to monitor polling places on Election Day. They must be registered voters and are not affiliated with the Centre County elections office.
They monitor precincts for any potential issues that occur while voters cast their ballot and can step in if a legal issue were to occur.
“Either a candidate has to submit a request form or the party chairs submit a form requesting a list of people to be eligible to be poll watchers,” Nedd said. “Once we receive that form, from either the candidates or the parties, we do confirm that they are registered voters, which they must be.”
Poll watcher training is conducted by the respective parties and organizations that appoint them.
“What the watchers do, essentially, is make sure that procedures that should be taking place are taking place and that things are not done inappropriately or that voters are being turned away for whatever reason,” Nedd said.
Usually, poll watchers have a list of registered voters for each precinct. When voters sign in, poll watchers scratch names off their list. If they think there is an issue, Nedd said they contact the county elections office or notify candidates and party chairs.
Where can poll watchers be on Election Day?
After Trump accused election officials of blocking poll workers’ access at newly opened satellite voting locations in Philadelphia, Boockvar clarified what rights poll watchers have on Election Day.
In the incident the president was referring to, a woman, who was not registered with elections officials and without proper credentials, tried to enter one of seven satellite elections offices in Philadelphia, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.
But, satellite offices are not classified as polling places. Therefore, poll watchers are not permitted inside.
“Poll watchers have no rights to come into our house and sit with us at our kitchen table when we vote nor do they have the ability to go into the county elections office to watch people vote,” Boockvar said, paraphrasing Republican Philadelphia City Commissioner Al Schmidt. “That you can do in your privacy on your time.”
Watchers are permitted to be in a polling location while poll workers open the polls, throughout the day and when the polls are closing, Nedd said.
This story was originally published October 3, 2020 at 2:59 PM.
