New NC bill would allow intimidation in polling places | Opinion
The current state of democracy is fragile, more than my generation has ever seen. There is a strong likelihood that polling places will become the next battleground for election security, as poll observers, not poll workers, seek to be the gatekeepers of voter privacy.
The most recent development — N.C. House Bill 772 — permits partisan intervention in election administrative spaces, undermining election officials at the polls. It is essentially an intimidation bill that creates opportunities for party-affiliated poll observers to influence ballots as they are submitted and potentially coerce constituents within their increasingly growing proximity.
If you are unfamiliar with this bill, dubbed the Poll Observer Appointments, Access & Activity bill, you are not alone. This bill works quietly, under the guise of partisan accountability and “election integrity.” It is important, however, to recognize the differences between a poll worker and a poll observer.
Poll workers are trained, nonpartisan election officials who assist constituents in casting their ballots at polling locations. Poll workers keep elections safe and confidential and handle voter information according to specific instructions.
Poll observers are partisan extensions of State Board of Election-approved parties. These individuals visit polls on their parties’ behalf, intending to oversee processes they are not trained in, informed on, or have jurisdiction over. Observers from parties suggest they’re there to keep each other in check. However, it’s becoming more common for poll observers to toe the line of election interference.
The environment in which a person votes is sacred. The Constitution intends voters to be the most protected body in our nation, free of intimidation.
House Bill 772 will change the voting experience for the worse. Partisan poll observers will be permitted to come within 5 feet of the voter. This bill would also permit poll observers to take pictures and video inside polling locations, such as photographs of machinery and signage, further intimidating voters.
Let’s put this in sports terms: It’s like allowing a Duke coach to enter the referee’s box during the final seconds of a national championship game against UNC and letting him take photographs, insinuating the call was made out of personal bias or fraud, even if that’s not the case.
Not to mention, HB 772 would allow up to two at-large observers per party, per site to be permitted at the polls at any given time. At-large observers do not have time restrictions and they may come and go as they please.
Perhaps worst of all, this bill requires poll workers to undergo a lengthy process to remove potentially harmful observers from their appointed stations. And it threatens workers with a Class 1 misdemeanor if they cannot prove that an observer obstructed the election process. Strongly worded letters from an overworked poll worker won’t work when partisan observers are intimidating voters in the moment.
Like in sports, say when Duke plays UNC, we don’t need coaches to act as referees in the games they are a part of. We need unbiased, officially trained referees with no personal interest, incentive, or political gain for specific outcomes. Our local and state elections deserve the same. Lawmakers must say “no” to partisan play in our democratic processes and say “no” to HB 772.