I have been an election observer for many years, working with The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights under Law or the Democratic Party. There are very strict guidelines on what observers can and cannot do.
The goal of election observers is to assist in resolving any problems that might arise, e.g., helping voters find the right polling location, and making sure that poll workers are assisting voters in resolving any issues to allow them to cast a ballot.
In all the years I have been a poll observer, it has never been my role to challenge a voter on his or her eligibility to cast a vote.
This is something that the Republican Party, however, has engaged in, as well as Republican Party affiliated organizations such as the notorious True the Vote with a “horrendous record of filing inaccurate voter registration challenges.” A Reading Guide to True the Vote, the Controversial Voter Fraud Watchdog.
Donald Trump, who has sought to delegitimize this election by asserting that “the only way he can lose” is if the “system is rigged” and there is “voter fraud,” Trump urges Pennsylvania backers: Don’t just vote, watch for signs of ‘cheating’ on election day, is now rolling out his own “election observers,” who are likely to follow the True the Vote model.
