More Information - A Citizen's Guide to
Observing Elections
Introduction
There is a crisis of confidence in American elections; and for good reason. Last minute changes in election processes in response to the COVID pandemic created massive security flaws in the 2020 elections that have stoked public doubt. According to a recent Rasmussen
poll, a majority of Americans now think there was cheating in the 2020 elections, and a huge majority are concerned with election integrity.
While some portray concern with election integrity as solely a Republican issue linked to the disputed 2020 election, the polling cited above demonstrates it is also an important concern for majorities of both Democrats and Independents; and one must only look back to
2018 to see prominent Democrats (including the current Vice President) expressing concerns about election integrity.
The truth is that election integrity must matter to all Americans, for without elections that are transparent and credible, and that accurately reflect the will of the people, we lose our republic. We are a self-governing people, and with our rights and liberties come the responsibility to protect and defend our republic for ourselves, our fellow citizens, and our posterity.
If you are unable to work as an election official or poll watcher, you can still help protect election integrity by serving as a citizen observer before the election and/or while voting on election day (or during advance voting, if they have that in your state). The process is easy. Simply look around as you go through the voting process, then record responses to a few simple questions, and press send!
Your visible presence observing the process can help deter cheating, and the data you collect will be added to that provided by other observers, and used to assess the quality of the election and to make recommendations for reform.
Citizen Observer ID
If you have the opportunity, you may want to print and wear a conference badge that identifies you as a Citizen Election Observer as you go through the voting process. Wearing ID lets officials and party representatives know they are under increased scrutiny, and may help deter malpractice. If you decide you want to wear ID, or just want a cool souvenir, you can download a template to print your own badge. Print either the
color or
black and white pages (depending on your printer), and place them back-to-back in a vinyl conference badge pouch, or glue them together to hang from a button, lanyard, or string.
If you decide you want to wear ID, or just want a cool souvenir, you can download a
color or
black and white template to print your own hangtag.
Before Election Day – Monitoring the Pre-Election Environment
The overall fairness of an election cannot be determined solely by considering what occurs on election day. There are a number of other factors which can affect citizens and political parties’ ability to participate effectively in the democratic process. Making a comprehensive and detailed assessment of the pre-election environment is typically the work of long-term observers, media monitors, and legal specialists; but it is possible for citizen observers to develop a general impression of the election environment in their area by talking with voters.
If you choose to complete this section, your findings will help reveal in broad terms public perceptions of the extent to which the environment is conducive to credible elections in your area, and the data collected can be aggregated with data from other observers to enhance our evaluation of the election at the national level.
Observing on Election Day
First, spend a few moments observing the environment outside the polling station. Read through the questions before going into the polling station. In some areas you may be able to enter responses on your phone while you are going through the voting process, but in other localities, cell phone use inside the polling station may be prohibited. In this case, or if you feel uncomfortable recording responses while in the station, look closely at the process, and record your responses after leaving the station.
Incident Report
If you witness an election irregularity, malpractice or fraud that could affect the integrity of the election process, please immediately fill in and submit an incident report form. We ask you to include your name, an email address, and a phone number on the form, so that we can follow up if we have additional questions; but your personal information will remain confidential.
