NC GOP Recruiting Volunteers For Ballot Protection Team

The North Carolina GOP wants more eyes and ears at polls across the state on election day. Jason Simmons, chairman at the NC GOP says the party is actively recruiting members for its Ballot Protection Team.

“Maybe they run out of ballots or the electricity goes down and a machine is is not working properly,” Chairman Simmons said. “It’s just about having eyes and ears on the ground.”

The NC GOP is recruiting at political events across the state. Volunteers handed out flyers at the Trump rally in Charlotte in July.

“As folks have become more aware of the process of elections, it’s making sure that they want to be engaged and involved,” Chairman Simmons said. “It’s to be able to continue to make sure that folks have confidence in the process, and especially making sure that there is a clear and transparent process by which the elections are administered.”

In 2020, Former President Trump started baseless claims of voter fraud as more people cast their ballots by mail during the pandemic which cast doubt on the election process.

North Carolina rules allow partisan polls watchers inside precincts. Each party can appoint one observer and two watchers for each polling place. Kristin Mavromatis from Mecklenburg County Board of Elections says not all parties participate.

“In the last election, the Democrats didn’t even put people forward at all,” Mavromatis said. “We definitely have had some Republicans out there. Typically, what we find with poll watchers is they are concerned about what ID is being shown.”

Poll watchers can report concerns to elections officials but they aren’t allowed to interfere with operations or talk to voters inside the precinct. In a survey from the May 2022 Primary election, Board of Elections directors reported 15 violations from poll watchers including Iredell and Catawba counties.

“My concern is always we have a hard enough time finding poll workers, and I feel that if people participated on that side and learned the process, they would feel comfortable because you’re still there,” Mavromatis said. “At the end of the day, all of our poll workers are your neighbors. They are from both parties.”

Mavromatis says months before polls even open, workers are checking all systems to ensure free, fair and transparent elections.

“We will test every single piece of machinery that goes out to all the polls,” Mavromatis said. “We have a huge group of about 40 or 50 bipartisan people that come in and do all of that testing for us.”

Chairman Simmons says GOP poll watchers will get training to teach them the difference between observation and intimidation.

“It is the right of every citizen to be able to vote and to do so in a proper manner, and so making sure that they are not being obtrusive during that process, but also making sure that they have the ability to observe,” Chairman Simmons said.

If you’d like to volunteer for the Ballot Protection Team, you can find more information here.