Poll watcher instructions

Poll watching in Florida is governed by section 101.131, Florida Statutes. Read this page before your first shift. It takes five minutes and it is the difference between being admitted and being turned away.

Signing up for a shift on this site is not the same as being authorized to serve. You must also be designated in writing with the Supervisor of Elections before the deadlines below. We handle that filing for you — but only if we have your name in time.

Deadlines to be designated

These are set by statute and cannot be extended.

Register on this site well before those dates. If you sign up for an early voting shift after October 5, we cannot get you designated and you will not be admitted.

You must be a registered Polk County voter

Every poll watcher must be a qualified, registered elector of the county they serve. If you are registered somewhere other than Polk County, you cannot serve here. Check your registration at polkelections.gov.

Poll watcher and backup — only one of you is inside

Each shift on this site has two slots, and this is why: the law allows each political party only one poll watcher in a polling room at any one time.

• Poll watcher — you are the one inside for that shift.
• Backup — you are the designated substitute. You do not go in alongside the poll watcher. You step in if they cannot make it, arrive late, or have to leave.

Both slots get filed with the Supervisor of Elections, so either of you may lawfully serve. If you are the backup, expect to be called rather than to attend by default, and confirm with your poll watcher before the shift.

Bring with you

• Photo ID.
• Your identification badge from the Supervisor of Elections. You must wear it the entire time you are performing your duties. No badge, no entry.
• Something to write with, and paper. Not a laptop.
• Water and a snack. Shifts are three hours and you cannot count on a break.

Arrive ten minutes early and check in with the precinct clerk — the person running that polling place. Introduce yourself, show your badge, and ask where they would like you to stand.

What you may do

• Watch and observe the conduct of electors and election officials.
• Observe the check-in process from a reasonable distance.
• Ask questions about polling place procedures — directly to the clerk, and only to the clerk.
• Take notes. Write down what you actually saw, with the time.
• Challenge a voter's eligibility, in writing and under oath, submitted to the clerk. See below.

What you may not do

• Do not speak to or interact with voters. Not to greet them, not to help them, not to answer a question. Direct anything a voter asks you to the clerk.
• Do not take photographs or record — no video, no audio, no photos inside the polling room.
• Do not wear anything political. No candidate or party buttons, shirts, hats, stickers, or logos. This includes clothing that merely names a candidate.
• Do not approach the inspectors' table or the voting booths any closer than is reasonably necessary to observe.
• Do not obstruct the orderly conduct of the election in any way.
• Do not argue with poll workers, other watchers, or voters. Ever.

Phones must be silent or on vibrate. Use one for quiet note-taking only — never for photos or recording. Step outside to make a call.

Challenging a voter's eligibility

If you believe someone is not eligible to vote, you may challenge it — but there is exactly one lawful way to do it:

1. Say nothing to the voter. Do not approach them.
2. Complete a written challenge, under oath, and hand it to the precinct clerk.
3. The clerk handles it from there. The voter is still permitted to vote a provisional ballot; that is the law and it is not something to dispute at the polls.

A challenge made any other way is not a challenge — it is voter intimidation, and it will get you removed and can expose you to liability.

If you see a problem

Write down what you saw, where, and the exact time. Facts, not conclusions.

Then, in this order:

1. If it is a procedural question, ask the precinct clerk.
2. If it is not resolved, contact Doug Matthews, our designated Poll Watcher Captain, at doug@teaching-point.net.
3. Do not confront anyone. Do not post about it from the polling place. Do not talk to reporters at the site — refer them to the party.

You are there to observe and document. Documentation is what has value later; an argument at the polls has none.

If you cannot make your shift

Sign in and cancel it from My Shifts as early as you can, so someone else can take it. If it is the day of, contact your backup directly and let Doug Matthews know.

Based on section 101.131, Florida Statutes, and Supervisor of Elections guidance current as of August 2026. Procedures at your assigned location are set by the precinct clerk; follow their direction on where to stand. Questions about the rules themselves go to [Doug Matthews](mailto:doug@teaching-point.net); questions about the site or your shifts go to [chairman@polkgop.org](mailto:chairman@polkgop.org).