CHARLESTON, SC (WCSC) – When you go to the polls to cast your vote, you may notice that many people are watching what is going on.

They’re called poll watchers and they’re allowed to do just that. However, they have certain rules they must follow.

The South Carolina State Election Commission’s Poll Administrators Manual states that observers must wear a badge identifying who they are and the candidate or party they represent. They must also submit a letter signed by the candidate or relevant party official stating that the poll observer is authorized to serve as an observer in that area.

Some people who monitor polling places are observers, but unlike poll watchers, they are not assigned as a poll observer by an election board and are not appointed by a political party or candidate. However, observers are allowed to monitor election activities at the discretion of the poll official.

They are allowed to observe the election process, take notes, obtain information, or ask questions of the clerk or poll administrator.

But there are many things they are not allowed to do: They cannot interfere with the election, they cannot take photos or videos inside the polls, they cannot communicate with voters, they cannot harass workers or voters. They also may not physically handle or touch any voting materials or equipment, move or rearrange tables, chairs or voting booths, sit at or move around desks, or view confidential voter information on any computer terminal, ballot or document.

If a poll watcher wishes to challenge a voter, he or she must address only the poll worker and not the voter.

There will be consequences for observers who don’t follow the rules, said Isaac Cramer, Executive Director of the Charleston County Board of Elections.

“If a poll watcher approaches you at any time during the process, it is against the rules of the polling place,” he says. “At every polling place in South Carolina there is a clerk at that location, a chief official at that location, you will find that person, you will tell them about your experience and that poll watcher will be spoken to. If there are multiple instances of this, the poll monitor will be removed from the building for violating the rules.”

Cramer says that at the end of the day, observers are just observing; They don’t fix things, they don’t talk to voters, and they don’t interfere with election officials and their work.

Copyright 2024 WCSC. All rights reserved.