On Election Day, you might see various people working at your polling place.
Poll watchers and poll workers are both essential to smooth sailing at the polls on Election Day in Pennsylvania. While the two are often confused, they do very different jobs on November 5th.
Poll workers assist voters during the election as they cast their ballots. They include clerks that check voters in, and machine operators that help voters use the voting equipment. In larger Pennsylvania counties, there may be over 1,000 poll workers altogether operating at various polling places.
While poll workers interact directly with voters and help carry out the election process, poll watchers are not able to interfere with voters or the voting process.
Poll watchers can alert an election official if they see anything unusual. Both the Republican and Democratic Party use poll watchers on Election Day.
Poll watchers are selected by their party and must obtain documentation from their county election office before participating as a poll watcher.
Poll workers and poll watchers are instrumental on Election Day by helping citizens exercise their right to vote while ensuring the integrity of the American election system.
