Leslie Boykin received a message from the Travis County Democratic Party seeking lawyers to work as poll watchers. The Austin criminal defense attorney served as a precinct chair for nearly seven years, but had never considered volunteering as an election monitor.
She said she signed up, in part, out of a feeling of democratic duty, even as the coronavirus continues to circulate in Texas, and despite the fact that her mother is at an elevated risk for contracting the virus. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just that important,鈥� she said.
鈥淧resident [Donald] Trump鈥檚 rhetoric may cause some Republicans to try and cast doubt upon election results, or even sabotage election results or in some way say they aren鈥檛 fair,鈥� Boykin said. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 important to try to double check everything, to dot your i鈥檚 and cross your t鈥檚 and ensure it鈥檚 all done correctly, documented and witnessed.鈥�
Boykin is part of an unprecedented effort to recruit thousands of poll watchers in Texas and across the country, as elections experts and voting rights groups warn of a growing threat of unrest and voter intimidation.
During the first presidential debate, Trump urged his supporters to head to the polls and 鈥渨atch very carefully,鈥� sparking fears that people would take poll watching 鈥� a well-defined role under Texas law 鈥� into their own hands. His son, Donald Trump Jr., posted a separate video that urged people to join the 鈥渁rmy for Trump鈥檚 election security operation.鈥�
Poll watchers are important for a smooth electoral process, experts say. But it鈥檚 dangerous to encourage self-appointed observers to act outside legal boundaries.
鈥淚t鈥檚 very infrequently about ensuring election integrity and much more often the case of potentially intimidating voters,鈥� said Patrick Flavin, a political science professor at Baylor University.
Texas has stringent rules dictating who can observe an election and what role can they play. Here鈥檚 what you need to know about poll watchers:
Who can serve as a poll watcher?
Under Texas law, a poll watcher must be appointed by either a candidate for office, a political party, or a proponent or opponent of a ballot measure.
A poll watcher also must be registered to vote in the territory covered by the election, such as a city or school district and they must wear badges that identify themselves as poll watchers. Candidates for office and elected officials are not eligible.
Each precinct is limited to two poll watchers per appointing authority on duty at any given time.
What can a poll watcher do?
Poll watchers are permitted to observe almost every aspect of the election. They can look for instances of electioneering 鈥� or campaigning in close proximity to a polling place 鈥� tampering with voting equipment or bribing voters.
Poll watchers can also monitor the installation and testing of voting machines, returns prepared by election officials, the delivery of records from a precinct to a central counting station and the tallying of votes.
If they notice a violation, they must report it to the precinct鈥檚 election clerk or judge. But a poll watcher is not permitted to discuss the matter any further, unless invited to do so by the site鈥檚 election judge.
What are poll watchers prohibited from doing?
Poll watchers are prohibited from almost anything other than observing. Specifically, they are barred from:
- Talking to election officials, other than to report a violation.
- Talking to voters.
- Leaving the precinct without an election judge鈥檚 permission, unless the poll watcher has worked for five consecutive hours.
Texas Democrats say they鈥檙e building the largest voter protection program in the state鈥檚 history. A party spokesperson said the organization recruited thousands of lawyers and volunteers to monitor precincts across the state as official poll watchers. In Travis County alone, about 900 people registered as poll watchers, said Katie Naranjo, chair of the Travis County Democratic Party.
The Texas GOP did not respond to multiple requests for comment. But the Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee have more than 50,000 poll watchers across the U.S for the Nov. 3 elections.
For nearly four decades, the RNC was bound by a federal consent decree that barred the party from undertaking election protection efforts without court approval 鈥� the result of an effort in 1981 to intimidate New Jersey voters. A judge lifted the decree in 2018.
Responding to what they call 鈥渦nprecedented intimidation tactics鈥� and efforts by officials to 鈥渕ake voting more difficult for their own political gain,鈥� a network of liberal Texas officials and community leaders on Thursday announced the launch of . Among those on its advisory board are former U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary , former U.S. Rep. of El Paso and Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo.
The organization pointed to Gov. 鈥檚 move to as an example of efforts to suppress voting. Mimi Marziani, a member of Texas Right to Vote and president of the Texas Civil Rights Project, said the coalition鈥檚 primary goal is to combat misinformation on social media.
Marziani鈥檚 organization is also leading a nonpartisan voter protection program. More than 3,000 volunteers will staff , where voters can report intimidation, and monitor polling locations.
鈥淭his is a pretty unprecedented moment for our democracy,鈥� she said.