FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)
1. What does an election officer exactly do?
An election officer is a member of a bi-partisan team that has volunteered to run the election in the polling place. The team is responsible for insuring an election that is operated in accordance with the election laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The team opens and closes the polling place. The team is also responsible for recording the Statement of Results for their precinct that is sent to the local board of elections.
2.What does a poll watcher do?
A poll watcher is a representative designated by either the Democrat or Republican parties. In some situations the poll watcher can be inside the polling place at the request of an independent candidate. All poll watchers must present a certificate signed by a unit chair or independent candidate authorizing that person to be present in the polling place.
The poll watcher has two main duties. The first is to assist the party in their get out the vote activities usually using a list of anticipated party voters which is reported to precinct workers outside the polling place so the absent voters can be reminded to vote.
The second is to monitor the voting process to insure applicable laws are followed. If the poll watcher sees something questionable they must report it directly to the Election Chief or Assistant Chief. This is where voter fraud can be observed and reported. The poll watcher training goes into more detail about these activities.
3. Are there both inside the poll and outside the poll tasks for poll watchers? Different volunteers, or the same?
Outside volunteers are usually called outside poll workers and usually perform tasks requested by the party such as recruiting precinct volunteers and passing out sample ballots as voters enter the polling place. Outside workers must be outside the 40 foot no-electioneering zone.
Inside volunteers have the title of Poll Watchers and must present a certificate signed by the party to gain admittance to the polling place.
|
No comments:
Post a Comment