Bloomberg: Democrats Gear Up to Watch Polls as Trump Mobilizes Supporters

Bloomberg: Democrats Gear Up to Watch Polls as Trump Mobilizes Supporters

There’s concern about the potential for clashes and problems at the polls, but it’s illegal to intimidate or harass voters, said Suzanne Almeida, interim executive director of Common Cause Pennsylvania. The group is helping lead a coalition with about 1,000 nonpartisan “poll monitors” who will be outside polling locations across the commonwealth to ensure voting goes smoothly. “We are doing a lot scenario planning,” Almeida said. “The best thing we can do is prepare in advance.”

Joe Biden’s campaign and other Democrats in key battleground states say they’re readying their own efforts to monitor balloting as they express concern about President Donald Trump’s call for supporters to show up at the polls to watch for problems with voting.

Biden’s campaign has enlisted thousands of volunteers and the Democratic National Committee began building voter-protection teams in some states as early as last year, according to the campaign. …

While Trump complained during Tuesday’s debate that poll watchers were denied access because “bad things happen in Philadelphia,” city commissioners said no poll watchers were certified yet — and that by law, they can only observe polling places on Election Day.

In Pennsylvania and most other states, a limited number of poll watchers representing candidates and political parties must be approved to enter polling locations and observe the process, and they can’t interact with voters.

There’s concern about the potential for clashes and problems at the polls, but it’s illegal to intimidate or harass voters, said Suzanne Almeida, interim executive director of Common Cause Pennsylvania. The group is helping lead a coalition with about 1,000 nonpartisan “poll monitors” who will be outside polling locations across the commonwealth to ensure voting goes smoothly.

“We are doing a lot scenario planning,” Almeida said. “The best thing we can do is prepare in advance.”