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Poll Watchers Keep Eyes Out For Problems

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Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of partisan observers as well as teams of federal agents will be watching voters and poll workers.

By CATHERINE WHITTENBURG | The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 4, 2008

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TALLAHASSEE - Derided as the nation's poster child for Election Day chaos, Florida's polling precincts will be crowded today with watchdogs, not just voters.

Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of partisan observers as well as teams of federal agents will be watching voters and poll workers - and each other - trying to make sure everything is aboveboard.

Lawyers from both parties are among them, seeking content for potential legal arguments. Sheriff's deputies will be on hand in some places, too, in case of trouble and federal researchers will be gauging whether precincts are equipped to assure accessibility for seniors and the disabled.

Much of this scrutiny will be seen in other states as well, but Florida's polling history has given it a special place in the national eye.

"Well-deserved," said Ross Baker, a professor of political science at Rutgers University.

The infamy of Florida's election system dates back to the infamous recount of 2000, when recount challenges and complaints of voter disenfranchisement spawned protests and lawsuits by civil rights groups, the candidates and their parties.

"I think Florida's polling places bear watching," Baker said.

Bring it on, said Pasco County Supervisor of Elections Brian Corley. Poll watchers "have a role to play, and in the spirit of transparency, we welcome the scrutiny," he said. "It's not going to change the job we do."

Parties and candidates have dispatched 452 poll watchers throughout Hillsborough County, 527 in Pinellas and 40 in Pasco.

Poll watchers can discuss any procedural problems they observe with the precinct clerk, or report it to the Supervisor of Elections office if need be. They can also swear out challenges of individual voters, but they cannot contact a voter directly.

"The biggest thing they watch for is any voting irregularities," said David Storck, chairman of the Hillsborough GOP. "It's very important that everyone that comes in to vote in a particular precinct is registered to vote at that precinct."

Four years ago, Storck said, a few unregistered voters managed to grab ballots and slip past poll workers into voting booths. "Before anyone could stop them, they had voted."

Michael Steinberg, chairman of the Hillsborough Democrats, is concerned about other kinds of dirty tricks, such as voters taking a long time at the voting booth.

"I won't say it's an official tactic of one party of another, here's a rumor that some people may spend extra time in the polls to slow things down," he said. "We want to make sure everyone gets a chance to vote; we don't want people waiting 2 to 3 hours in line."

Democrats and Barack Obama's campaign are sending the largest numbers of observers into Bay-area polling places. Several thousand lawyers, law students and other volunteers are on hand in Florida on behalf of Obama.

Adrianne Marsh, the Obama campaign Florida spokeswoman, said the campaign wants to be ready if any problems arise.

"For more than a month our voter protection team has been educating voters and working with election officials in every county to ensure adequate resources are in place for a smooth election process," she said.

The Florida Democratic Party has been sounding the alarm about potential unfair challenges to voters' rights at the polls. Last week, the party filed a lawsuit in Leon County Circuit Court accusing Republicans of building lists of voters to block from casting regular ballots. Florida Republicans swore Monday in court statements that they will not mount "frivolous" challenges to voters' rights and places of residency, based on something like a list of home foreclosures.

In addition, teams of poll-watching researchers from the federal General Accountability Office will be in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Broward and Miami-Dade counties.

Barbara Bovbjert, the GAO's director of education, work force and income security issues, said the aim is to document the accessibility of polling sites for disabled voters, information to be included in a national report due to next year.

The four counties are among 100 nationally selected randomly for the study, which will be similar to one done in 2000.

One team of two researchers is expected to visit up to eight randomly selected polling sites in Hillsborough County; two teams of two people will visit up to 16 sites in Pinellas County.