Example: Serving as a Poll Observer or Watcher

If you’re not currently a poll observer or poll watcher for the next election, consider becoming one. If you are — and your precinct tabulates votes onsite and prints poll tapes — you’re highly encouraged to record those tapes with Actual Vote. (If tabulation happens elsewhere, like at the supervisor of elections office, there won’t be tapes to record at your polling place.)

This method is particularly powerful for two reasons:

It captures the data on the poll tape right as it’s being printed — the very beginning of the chain of custody. And you can record in places the general public can’t, which expands where Actual Vote can be done. You may also be able to observe the tabulation of non-election-day methods (absentee, early voting) and record those tapes too.

How to get credentialed

You usually can’t just show up — poll watchers are appointed ahead of time. Depending on your state, you get credentialed through a political party, a candidate, or (in some places) a registered nonpartisan observer group, and there are sign-up deadlines and sometimes a short training or an oath. The rules vary a lot from state to state, so start early. For a state-by-state overview of who can serve and how to sign up, see Ballotpedia’s poll watcher guide; your county elections office or a local party can point you to the exact steps where you live.

Get permission

You make sure you have permission to video-record the tape(s) at your precinct as part of the closing procedure. You contact your supervisor:

Hi, my name is [name]. I’m a poll observer at [polling place] in [county]. I saw in our training materials that closing procedures include tabulating votes onsite on election night and printing poll tapes right after.

For the sake of election transparency, I’d like to video-record the poll tapes with my phone as they print, or right after. It’ll just take a second and won’t get in the way of everything else going on. The information on the poll tapes is a matter of public record, and observing poll tapes is legal. So I’m hoping recording them this way won’t be a problem — let me know! Thanks.

If you’re observing tabulation somewhere other than a polling place, adapt it:

Hi, my name is [name]. I’m a poll observer in [county]. I saw in our training materials that our procedures include tabulating the [election-day / absentee / early] votes at [location] on election night and printing poll tapes right after…

Ideally your supervisor replies “Sure, no problem!” If recording is explicitly forbidden, there’s nothing more you can do. If they don’t immediately grant permission but don’t rule it out, it’s up to you how much to push back — proceeding in a friendly, assertive, professional way, and citing resources like our Start Here page and an example Actual Vote analysis, can help convince people that Actual Vote genuinely improves transparency.

Get set up and let us know

Once you have permission, get the Actual Vote app, test it out, and review Start Here — about 10–20 minutes. Then drop us a line so we expect your videos:

Hi, my name is [name]. I’m going to be a poll observer at [precinct] in [county]. I’m all set with the Actual Vote app — please expect recordings of the poll tapes from my precinct on election night! Thanks.

Then on election night, record the poll tapes with Actual Vote as planned.

Go further

A couple of ways to help even more:

After your election-day responsibilities are done, if you live in a state that posts poll tapes in public, you could visit a few other polling places on your way home and record those tapes too. And you could reach out to other poll observers in your county, explain how you’re using Actual Vote, and encourage them to do the same. Whatever you choose, your efforts are greatly appreciated.