Chapter 6 – In–Person Early Voting.
6.A. Before the Polls Open.
6.A.2. Each Subsequent Day.
6.A.2.a. Witness the Polling Room Being Unlocked.
You are here to witness that door being unlocked.
Your poll watcher team may ask you to text them who opened the door and at what time.
X unlocked the door of the [NAME OF POLLING PLACE or Central Counting Facility] at [TIME] and [DATE].
Text the message to your poll watcher team. By texting the message, you have a second way of confirming date & time.
6.A.2.b. Record the Vote Count
Once the room is unlocked, record the tabulator count. If there are multiple ballot boxes/tabulators, record the count of each of them.
If an Election Judge insists that you present your credentials and sign-in before you record the tabulator count, that's okay. You have your credentials with you. Make sure you record the tabulator count before the first vote. The earlier the better.
Text the count to your poll watcher team so that they can compare the count to the count from the night before. Again, texting allows you a second confirmation of date & time.
If there is a barrier between you and the ballot box/tabulator, if the ballot box/tabulator is in a different room than the Polling Room, or if the ballot box/tabulator is not on public display, ask an Election Judge to remove any barriers and have the ballot box/tabulator placed on public display in the Polling Room.
If the Election Judge refuses to place the ballot box/tabulator on public view, contact your poll watcher team.
6.A.2.c. Present Your Credentials
Once the vote count is recorded, resume your poll watcher duties. See: Present Your Credentials. this link opens in a new browser tab..
6.A.2.d. Other Actions To Take Before the Polls Open
- Examine the Voter Booths. this link opens in a new browser tab.
- Check Election Documents and Security Containers. this link opens in a new browser tab.
- Create a A List of Election Judges & Their Party Affiliations. this link opens in a new browser tab.
- Find A Seat. this link opens in a new browser tab.
6.A.2.e. If You Are Only There For the Daily Tabulator Count
You still have to present your credentials.
You will have to wait until an Election Judge is available to accept your credentials.
You cannot leave until you have presented your credentials.
Sign–in, as required, with the time you walked into the polling place. Sign out with the present time.