New election laws will be implemented this upcoming June, which will be applied to a county judicial primary race.
Gigi Mathews, county election commissioner, said two revised laws that county leaders need to be aware of include training poll workers online and eliminating poll watchers from assisting voters.
“The legislature passed a bill last year that has revamped a lot of laws that affect us as election commissioners,” Mathews said. “We now have to train poll workers online, and they have to pass. Before June, we do have to train one person for each precinct, which is 23 people.”
Also, according to a new law, voter assistance shall not be provided by poll watchers. A poll watcher is considered someone who observes the polling place on election day.
Each candidate on the ballot may have one poll watcher per polling place. In general and special elections, each political party which has a candidate on the ballot may have two poll watchers per polling place.
With the proper credentials, poll watchers may bring their own poll books and are entitled to hear and see the manner in which the elections are conducted. But they cannot interfere with the voting process.
Poll watchers may not:
Communicate with any voter
Physically touch or handle any ballot, absentee ballot envelope, absentee ballot application of affidavit ballot envelope
View or photograph the poll books while at a polling place
Photograph the receipt books while at the polling place
