Can someone tell me what, if any, benefits there are to being a

[babylonsister]

poll watcher? Seems there's a controversy brewing in TX about the necessity for poll watchers so I'd like to get your take on this. Thanks!
PS You folks are smart and trustworthy. I don't feel like getting slammed over this in GD/P.

[MH1]

1. Importance of poll watchers

(I was out of town this weekend and couldn't get online so only just now saw this)

There are two kinds of poll-watchers: partisan and non-partisan. Around my locale "poll-watcher" really only refers to the partisan type - the non-partisan ones are "election monitors." So, I'll assume that you mean the partisan type.

Poll-watchers can do a variety of things, mostly depending on how many you have in the poll and what the need is. The biggest thing I crave poll-watchers for in my precincts is to check off our voters ("D" voters and identified supporters of our candidates) as they come in, so that later in the day someone can call any no-shows and try to make sure they get to the poll before it closes. (EVERY vote counts. Really.)

In less orderly / more corrupt precincts, a main function of the poll-watcher is to shut down any shenanigii before they occur. Just being there can make a huge difference. For example, in PA there is now a requirement that first-time voters in a precinct show id in order to vote. No big deal - unless there were no Dems on the board or inside the poll, and the all-R board decided to make life more difficult than necessary for certain voters. With no one to protect the rights of the voter, they could be required to fill out a provisional ballot with no good cause - or turned away instead of being offered a provisional ballot.

Then there is the potential for voter fraud. And in this case I do mean "voter" fraud. If the poll is only manned by members of one party, and they happen to all be hacks, and there are no watchers from the other party....well, I guarantee you those folks have a darned good idea of certain voters who definitely won't be showing up. (There were a lot more of those never-shows in the good ole days when the voting rolls had lots of dead people listed. Ever hear of "voting the cemeteries"?) There is nothing to stop a board member from signing in as one of those never-show voters and voting "for" them - if enough others at the poll are in on the game. Now, I don't believe that fraud scenario is necessarily very likely in most places, because you would still need at least three people to be aware and accede to what is being done. But, in theory it could happen. (And no photo id requirement will do anything at all to stop it.) As soon as you have a member of the other party there (assuming they aren't a plant from the majority party, which also happens, surprise surprise), there is a whole lot more risk in this kind of fraud.

Also, if a voter comes in and has a genuine problem and needs some help resolving it (like they know they registered but aren't in the book, or they're in the wrong precinct, or they need assistance voting and the election board doesn't know that they are allowed to have almost anyone assist them...and so on), the poll-watcher can provide courteous assistance to the voter and make sure their problem is resolved.

Finally, it is always good to show that the Democratic Party is thriving in your neighborhood. Having a strong, friendly and knowledgeable presence at the polls on Election Day is a great way to build and maintain that image.

So, in my opinion there is a huge value in poll-watchers. I don't know what the situation is in TX but I am sure some of these benefits would apply there too.

I hope that helps.