MEET THE PEOPLE AT THE POLLS
When you walk into a polling place, you’ll see the people checking voters in and helping them use the equipment. You may also notice someone wearing an “Official Poll Watcher” badge, standing back and watching.
These people have different responsibilities. Knowing who does what can make your experience easier to understand.
POLL WORKERS MANAGE THE POLLING PLACE
Poll workers check voters in, explain how to use the equipment, and help keep voting moving.
Georgia law calls them poll officers. Each polling place is run by a poll manager and two assistant managers, with poll officers helping out. They’re appointed by your county election office, and they take an oath before the polls open.
If you have a question about the voting process, start with a poll officer. If it needs more attention, ask to speak with the poll manager.
POLL WATCHERS OBSERVE THE PROCESS
In Georgia, a poll watcher is someone officially designated to observe an election on behalf of a political party or a candidate. Before serving, poll watchers must complete training provided by the party or candidate who designated them.
That party or candidate must certify under oath that the training was completed. Candidates on the ballot can’t serve as poll watchers. Their poll watchers job is to observe election activities and bring concerns to election officials. Poll officers remain responsible for running the polling place.
What Poll Watchers Can See
Poll watchers may observe activities such as:
Poll workers checking voters in
Voting equipment being opened, tested, and closed down
Results being printed and secured when the polls close
Ballots being processed and counted at county tabulation and absentee ballot centers
Watchers can observe at Election Day precincts and advance voting locations. They may sit or stand as close as is practical to the activity they’re watching, but they aren’t allowed to hear confidential voter details like birthdates or driver’s license numbers. Poll watchers must wear a badge provided by election officials that says “Official Poll Watcher,” and they show their designation letter to the poll manager when they arrive.
Your Ballot Still Has Privacy Rules
Being a poll watcher doesn’t give someone permission to look over your shoulder while you vote. They can’t watch you mark your ballot.
While serving, poll watchers also can’t:
Talk with voters
Check the voter lists
Photograph or record anything inside the polling place
Use a cell phone inside the polling place
Touch ballots, equipment, or other election materials
Interfere with poll workers doing their jobs
If a you has a concern, Georgia law directs you to report it to the county election superintendent.
OTHER PEOPLE YOU MIGHT SEE
Counties often send roving technicians or supervisors to check on polling places during the day. In some elections, federal observers from the U.S. Department of Justice are assigned to certain Georgia counties. You may also see volunteers from nonpartisan voter-help groups, but they have to stay outside the polling place and outside the 150-foot no-campaigning zone. None of these people take over the poll workers’ job of running the polling place.
WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR KEEPING ORDER?
The poll manager has authority to keep order inside the polling place and to limit who’s allowed in the voting area. If law enforcement is needed, Georgia law requires officers to help clear the entrance and maintain order when poll workers ask them to.
What About Armed Guards or Police Officers?
Georgia bans firearms within 150 feet of a polling place while voting is underway. The state’s permitless-carry law doesn’t change that. Voters, poll watchers, and poll workers can’t bring a gun inside.
There are legal exceptions. Peace officers regularly employed by a federal, state, county, or city government, and certified security guards, are exempt. Unlike some states, Georgia doesn’t give poll managers a carve-out, even if they have a weapons license.
One more note: if your polling place is a school, federal school-zone firearm rules apply too.
ASK QUESTIONS
You don’t have to figure out someone’s role or interpret the rules yourself. Poll officers wear identification badges, and poll watchers wear theirs.
If you’re unsure why someone is there, ask a poll worker: “Can you explain that person’s role?” If someone’s behavior concerns you, tell the poll manager. You can also contact your county election office or the Georgia Secretary of State at 404-656-2871 (metro Atlanta) or 877-725-9797 (elsewhere in Georgia).
Sources: Georgia Election Code and Georgia Secretary of State