Poll Watcher

Primary definition

A "party worker who remains in the voting place outside the guardrail enclosure for the purpose of viewing the voting process, keeping track of the voters who have voted or challenging voters whose qualifications appear to be in question." Me. Rev. Stat. §21-A-1(30- A). A "watcher who shall be permitted to be present at the place where the ballots are cast from the time the polls are opened until the ballots are counted and certificates of the result of the election signed by the inspectors. The watcher shall be permitted to see the ballots as they are called during the count. The watcher shall be sworn to faithfully observe the rule of law prescribed for the conduct of elections. ... The function of the watcher is to observe activities at the polling place. The watcher may not disturb voters, attempt to influence voters, campaign, or display or wear any campaign material or buttons while inside any polling place." Ala. Code §17-6-8.

Also known aselection observer · poll observer · voting monitor · election monitor · polling place observer
2 sources cited4 related termsReviewed Aug 9, 2026
Electronic Voting GlossaryView source

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Carnegie Mellon University

A "party worker who remains in the voting place outside the guardrail enclosure for the purpose of viewing the voting process, keeping track of the voters who have voted or challenging voters whose qualifications appear to be in question." Me. Rev. Stat. §21-A-1(30- A). A "watcher who shall be permitted to be present at the place where the ballots are cast from the time the polls are opened until the ballots are counted and certificates of the result of the election signed by the inspectors. The watcher shall be permitted to see the ballots as they are called during the count. The watcher shall be sworn to faithfully observe the rule of law prescribed for the conduct of elections. ... The function of the watcher is to observe activities at the polling place. The watcher may not disturb voters, attempt to influence voters, campaign, or display or wear any campaign material or buttons while inside any polling place." Ala. Code §17-6-8.

Electronic Voting Glossary · 2024

Cite this term

Permanent URL · stable across revisions
Election Security Glossary. (2026). Poll Watcher. In Election Security Glossary. Retrieved August 22, 2026, from https://electionsecurityglossary.com/glossary/poll-watcher

Sources

2 cited · last checked Aug 9, 2026

01

Electronic Voting Glossary
Electronic Voting Glossary

High consensus

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02

EAC Glossary of Terms
EAC Glossary of Terms

Disputed

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