CLEVELAND, Ohio – If you’re waiting to vote on Election Day, expect to see Election Protection volunteers – including area college students – among those helping monitor the polls.
The volunteers will be dressed in purple shirts and stationed outside of polling locations to answer questions voters may have about where or how to vote. They’re also there to report any issues with voting, signage or long wait times.
Because the national voter advocacy group is nonpartisan, workers cannot display campaign materials or discuss candidates. Like partisan groups and campaigners, the volunteers must also remain 100 feet from polling locations and 10 feet from voting lines.
At a time when some voters remain concerned about election transparency and security, the volunteers are meant to serve as an extra watchdog and resource, helping put voters at ease, Greer Aeschbury with All Voting is Local said Thursday, during a special training session with Baldwin Wallace University students.
“You’re a friendly face making sure (voters) can have a positive experience,” she advised.
The Intro to U.S. Politics class is among a group of 50 students expected to help monitor polls on Election Day. BW Associate Professor Lauren Copeland arranged the training as a way to get students more involved in politics. Many of them are first-time voters experiencing a polling location for the first time.
“I think it’s important to see how the electoral process actually works,” Copeland said. “It’s just a great opportunity for our students to be part of the process and be boots on the ground, helping to make sure people are able to vote.”
Some students were apprehensive about the job, but others welcomed getting involved.
“I’m excited because I just like being involved in politics,” one student shared after the training. “I think it’s really cool to just be on the other side, and instead of just having to vote, which I’ve never even done before, it’s nice to be able to learn a little more about it.”
Here’s some of the information volunteers will be sharing:
- Ohio now has stricter voter ID laws and new rules for dropping off absentee ballots that voters may not be aware of. Voters must have physical IDs that are not expired. But the addresses on the IDs do not need to match the voter registration address
- The polls will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 5, and anyone in line by 7:30 p.m. can still vote
- Absentee ballots must be dropped off to the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day, and mailed-in ballots must be postmarked by Nov. 4
Voters are also encouraged to share with monitors any problems they experience at the polls or report them directly to Election Protection through the organization’s hotline 866-OUR-VOTE.
Common problems to report include suspected voter intimidation, long wait times, broken voting machines, inadequate signage, high use of provisional ballots, poll workers giving wrong information or language barriers.
Notably, Greer said volunteers should also expect to see – and report – more police around the polls than there has been in years past. Some counties have even requested increased security, she said, amid continued false claims of voter fraud.
That’s not the case in Cuyahoga County, though, Mike West with Cuyahoga County’s Boards of Elections assured. While the office is ready to respond to any issues that arise, he said it has not received any threats and is not taking any unusual measures to increase security.
“We are very fortunate in Ohio that voters have been on their best behavior,” West said.
