you go to your precinct, and you vote, can you just stay there until the polls close and be an observer after the polls close?
Not in GA either. Poll watchers are as official as workers and usually not paid unless the dems are paying. One from each recognized part has permission to be there.
you go to your precinct, and you vote, can you just stay there until the polls close and be an observer after the polls close?
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no
Those permitted inside your polling place are:
1. The District Election Board.
2. Not more than twice as many electors waiting to vote as there are voting scanners. (Use discretion if your polling location can hold more people without impacting your ability to manage the election flow.)
3. Voters who are in line either inside or outside of the polling place waiting to vote, shall be permitted to do so, if found qualified. The Judge of Election determines which voter is at the end of the assembled line at 8:00 PM and then directs the Constable or other poll worker to see that no other person enters the line. Anyone in line by 8:00 PM MUST be allowed to vote, no matter how long it takes.
4. Duly appointed “Watchers” with properly issued certificates. (For more information, see page 26 on Watchers.)
26
POLL WATCHERS
A Poll Watcher is a person who is appointed by either a party or a candidate to be inside the polls on Election Day. They MUST have a WATCHER’S CERTIFICATE. Watchers have no authority to enforce any laws. Their certificate must be presented to the Judge of Election for his/her inspection.
1. Certificate must be signed in ink.
2. Only one Watcher is permitted in a Polling Place at any time from each party or each candidate. They are to observe the proceedings of the board during the time the polls are open but are not to interfere with the voting process. They should have a listing of those voters registered in their district (you are not required to provide this). They may challenge a voter as to his/her eligibility to vote. Challenge forms are in your supply bag. Watchers may inspect the poll book and the numbered list of voters at intervals when there are no voters in line to be processed and “only” when the Judge of Election gives permission and if permission is given to the Watcher, the Judge of Election shall supervise or delegate this inspection of any request.
The tables, chairs and supplies in the polling place are for the use of the election board. If there are additional tables and chairs, they may be used by Watchers.
NOTE: At NO time should Watchers sit at the same table as the election workers, AND at NO time should the Watcher be permitted to be near the scanners or near any voter in the process of voting. Watchers must stay in the area designated by the Judge of Election and are not permitted to wander within the polling place.
If at any time a Watcher interferes with the voting process, in action or verbally, the Judge of Election has the authority to ask the Watcher to leave. When the polls are closed and you start the process of counting ballots, Watchers are to remain away from the processing area, but still close enough to see and hear what is
going on.
Watchers MAY NOT take photographs or record video; if they are using a cell phone, they must step outside of the polling place to preclude their conversations as being interpreted as “attempting to influence the outcome of an election by speaking positively or negatively about a candidate, party or policy.