If you plan to vote Nov. 5, chances are you’ll come across poll workers and poll watchers at voting sites. But how do they differ? NBC6’s Marissa Bagg reports
Thousands of poll workers are fanned out across Broward County staffing 29 early voting sites. Others will work the precincts on Nov. 5.
Tasheba Arinah-Gordon takes pride in the job she’s done for the last 15 years.
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“I enjoy being a part of our democracy and being able to give back in any way, especially at a time like this,” Arinah-Gordon said.
A poll worker’s job is quite different than a poll watcher's.
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A poll worker is a trained, paid part-time employee who helps people navigate the voting process. They are non-partisan.
Poll watchers are unpaid volunteers who observe the voting process on behalf of a political party or candidate.
“A poll watcher is assigned to our sites by either their political parties or candidates. They do come to our sites and have to sign in and sign out. There is a list already prepared for our site managers and clerks to verify these individuals,” Arinah-Gordon said.
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Poll workers help people vote in person from start to finish. They check voters in, make sure you receive the correct ballot and answer any questions about the process. They cannot answer questions about candidates, issues or how to vote. Once you’re done, poll workers direct you to the machine to submit your ballot to be counted.
Poll workers also organize mail-in and drop-off ballots after they’ve been verified. It’s a process anyone can come and watch at the Broward County Supervisor of Elections Office.
In contrast, poll watchers never speak to voters while inside the polling location or touch the ballots.
“They do not work for this organization, they’re not allowed to talk to voters inside the polling place. They are simply there to observe what is going on,” said Joe Scott, Broward County Supervisor of Elections.
Poll workers also go through a four-hour training session for each election. That’s three trainings this year when you include the election in March, the primary election in August and the November election.
