Boone County Clerk’s office prepares for civilian ‘poll watching’

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

During the first presidential debate, President Donald Trump urged his supporters to go to polling places on election day and be on the lookout for voter fraud.

"I'm urging  my supporters to go into the polls and watch very carefully because that's what has to happen. I am urging them to do it," President Trump said.

There are designated individuals to watch for such activity called poll watchers. The chairman of the county committee of each political party named on the ballot can designate a watcher for each place where votes are counted.

They are allowed to watch staff count votes and can complain to election judges if they notice any violations. They are not allowed to directly speak to voters or prevent something from happening at a polling place.

"We do anticipate having for the November election. We've had those for pretty much every presidential election," Boone County Clerk Brianna Lennon said. "We don't have lists yet but I anticipate receiving those."

Voters or residents cannot act as watchers and cannot talk to people inside of polling place.

"Members of the public are not allowed to watch or interact with voters inside the polling place," said Maura Browning from Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft's office in a statement.

If someone were to disrupt a polling place or election by attempting to act as a poll watcher themselves they could face legal punishment ranging from a misdemeanor to a felony, depending on their crime.

"There are four classes of election offenses that are all crimes under the law. They're all part of the election law," Lennon said.

• Class one election offenses
• Class two election offenses
• Class three election offenses
• Class four election offenses

"Having one of those on your record will prevent you from voting at any point ever in the future," she said.

Lennon said the clerk's office has not received any information that would raise a red flag about there being any issues or disruptions on election day. The office in Boone County communicates with other clerk's offices to share any alarming information.

The office will work with local law enforcement, either the Columbia Police Department or Boone County Sheriff's Department, if needed.

Lennon said the team has tabletop exercises to run through things that could go wrong on election day, from a disturbance to a fire.

"The best way to prepare for it is just by making sure that we have plans for every eventuality," she said.

The office has steps in place to prevent voter fraud on the day of the election. Voters must show identification when they arrive to vote, as well as verify their address.

"That's really important too is making sure that we have the correct address on file because that not only shows that you are who you say you are but also that we're going to give you the right ballot," Lennon said.

Voters also have to sign a poll pad so staff can compare the number of ballots to the number of people who voted.