Elections in the US: Poll watchers emerge as a flash point in the battle for ballots

Election officials in key states on the battlefield rejected claims by the Trump campaign that Republican election watchers were being improperly denied access to observe ballot counts, saying that the rules were being followed and that they were committed to transparency.

This year, tasked with monitoring a record number of mail-in ballots, partisan election observers are appointed by a political party or campaign to report any concerns they may have. With some reports from overly aggressive poll watchers, election officials said they were carefully balancing access with the need to minimize disruptions.

“Certainly, there were a lot of eyes on the process at every absent tally board across our state,” said Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat and the state’s top election official.

“I am proud of how transparent and secure our process has been. I know the truth is on our side here.”

Election watchers have been a central element in legal battles that have erupted in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Nevada. While the count was largely finished in Michigan, work continued on Thursday US time in Pennsylvania and Nevada, where a narrow margin separated President Donald Trump and his Democratic rival, Joe Biden.

Polling places and elections offices are allowed in most states, but the rules vary and there are limits to avoid any harassment or intimidation. Monitors are not allowed to interfere with the conduct of elections and are generally required to register in advance with the local election office.

In Nevada’s most populous county, officials said poll watchers were allowed in designated areas, told to comply with social distancing and mask requirements, and required to be accompanied by county representatives.

“When they register, they have to agree to follow the rules that are guided by statute. If they don’t follow the rules … they will be removed from the location,” said Joe Gloria, the chief elections official at Clark. County, which includes Las Vegas.

The Trump campaign had sought to stop the county’s mail-in ballot counting, saying observers were staying too far away to see if the signatures matched voter records.

“With the problems that have been reported about the election, we are now more concerned than ever about the lack of transparency in the observation and questioning of possible invalid ballots,” said Adam Laxalt, co-chair of Trump’s Nevada campaign.

That lawsuit was settled Thursday afternoon after election officials agreed to provide additional access at a ballot processing facility in Las Vegas.

In Pennsylvania, disputes over poll watchers were largely concentrated in Philadelphia, where the Trump campaign complained that its watchers couldn’t get close enough to see if mail-in ballot envelopes had signatures along with names and addresses. of eligible voters.

Ballots without this information could be challenged or disqualified, but city officials said state election law allows poll watchers to only observe work and not audit it.

Pennsylvania Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar defended the process as open.

“In Pennsylvania, all political candidates and parties can have an authorized representative in the room who watches the process,” Boockvar said in an interview with CNN.

“Some jurisdictions, including Philadelphia, are also broadcasting live, so you can literally see their counting process from anywhere in the world. It’s very transparent.”

On Thursday, a state judge ordered Philadelphia officials to allow party and candidate watchers to approach poll workers processing mail-in ballots. A spokesman for the Philadelphia board of elections said the barriers were moved in response to the order as the city appealed it.

Later, a federal court in Philadelphia denied a Trump campaign offer to stop the counting of votes on access issues, urging the two sides to forge a deal. Federal District Judge Paul S Diamond suggested that each party be allowed 60 observers inside the convention center where ballots are counted.

Proponents of the vote pointed to the restrictions applied to both Republican and Democratic poll watchers.

“There are specific rules in Pennsylvania about where poll watchers can station themselves and what they can do,” said Suzanne Almeida, acting director of Common Cause Pennsylvania.

“It applies to both parties equally. Everyone has exactly the same access. This is not about putting one party at a disadvantage over another.”

The number of poll watchers allowed in an election office varies. Some smaller offices may allow only a few inside, while larger ones may have dozens.

Also Thursday, a Michigan judge dismissed a Trump campaign lawsuit over whether enough Republican election watchers had access to handling absentee ballots.

Much of the dispute centered on Detroit, where absentee votes were counted at a downtown convention center. 134 tally boards were installed and each party was allowed one election observer per board, according to City Clerk Janice Winfrey.

He said he was not aware of the removal of any Republican election observers, but noted that some had been “very aggressive, trying to intimidate poll workers and processors.”

Ray Wert, who volunteered as a Democratic election observer on the site, said he found a group of Republican supporters blocking the entrance and observed police officers telling the crowd that no more people were being let in because there were the same number of partisan election observers. .

“My concern is that this will be used to delegitimize what is a very clear and very well managed process for counting these ballots,” Wert said.

– AP