Tens of thousands of poll monitors, challengers, lawyers and other activist observers are expected to clog voting precincts in battleground states Tuesday in what will probably be the most scrutinized U.S. election in at least 40 years. Few federal laws govern these largely self-appointed guardians of the voting process, many of whom are brazenly partisan and who range from civil rights activists to amateur videographers. Many are first-time volunteers, hastily trained by new advocacy coalitions. Others have had no training whatsoever.
Several election directors - including those in swing states - are still drafting ground rules on where monitors can stand, to whom they can talk and how they should report problems. Some guidelines have already been challenged in court. The confusing rules and lack of federal oversight alarms officials, especially given the intensity of this presidential contest. Particularly in jurisdictions where partisan politics and race have already cleaved deep social divisions, they fear a worst-case scenario where boorish or clueless observers spark a riot. "People who are doing this care about the election - they're passionate, and I'd hate to see passion rise to the level of confusion or confrontation," said DeForest Soaries Jr., chairman of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, the newly created federal agency in charge of election reform. "They have to remember that one flare-up anywhere in the country could trigger an intense response in multiple places."
Swarms of watchers - as well as pollsters, journalists and political operatives - could overwhelm and discourage voters from casting the very ballots they're trying to protect. Some compare it to a jam-packed Wal-Mart parking lot dissuading would-be shoppers from even entering the store. "Poll monitoring is one of these institutions that's right at the tension point between security and access," said Alex Keyssar, professor at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. "There's nothing wrong with watchers making sure everything is on the up and up. On the other hand ... they could intimidate voters and slow down the lines. There's definitely potential for some chaos here." |