Trump Campaign To Hire Thousands Of Volunteers As ‘Poll Watchers,’ Critics See Attempt At Voter Intimidation

Election Day is just 24 days away, and the Trump Campaign is hiring thousands of poll watchers to prevent any irregularities at the voting stations. The Republican National Committee is free to engage in poll watching, allowing volunteers to monitor everything from voting machines to ballot processing to checking voter identification. Although poll watchers are not allowed to interact directly with voters, watchers in some states can directly communicate with election officials. Certain states also regulate how many people from each political party can be at each location.

Liberal groups have argued that this a thinly veiled attempt at voter intimidation.

All volunteers are being trained on poll watching rules through a series of training videos. The videos emphasize the need for poll watchers to follow the rules, ensure that machines are working, and that ballots are being properly cast. The Trump campaign is looking to have up to 50,000 poll watchers across the nation, especially in battleground states such as North Carolina and Pennsylvania, and it says it is on pace to meet that goal.

The Biden campaign has also been creating its own program to employ poll watchers on Election Day. Advisers say they also have thousands of volunteers, though they have not provided more specific information. With Election Day quickly approaching, both parties are relying on all necessary tactics to ensure voting goes smothly on November 3.