POLL CHALLENGER - 2022 ELECTION YEAR

WHAT IS A POLL CHALLENGER? 

 Republican Party of Valencia County (RPVC) Poll Challengers are individuals appointed by the Party to monitor and protect the voting process. When things are not going right at a voting location, RPVC Poll Challengers have the authority to take appropriate action to get the voting process back on track.

To observe the voting process they may sit or stand anywhere they want as long as they do not obstruct the voting process.

 WHAT CAN GO WRONG? Here's a short list of the more common Election-Day issues: 

  • Long lines

  • Electioneering too close to the voting location

  • Poll Workers providing name, address, or year of birth information to people who say they can’t remember this information

  • Voting machine malfunctions

  • Not enough ballots or other supplies at the voting location

  • Voting Location does not open on time

  • Voters cannot easily find the voting location within a school/government building

  • Opposing Party Challengers improperly and repeatedly helping voters with their ballots

  • Someone may attempt to drop off many absentee ballots

  • The counts of the computers don’t match the counts on the tabulators

  • A Poll Worker or Presiding judge leaves the polling site before counts are verified

We will train you to identify and report these and many other similar situations.  And, we will be on call for you and, when necessary, be at your side. 

 HOW DO I BECOME A RPVC POLL CHALLENGER?

 Become a Poll Challenger, send an email to gop@valenciagop.org (include your name, email address, home address, and phone number).

 We will hold Poll Challenger trainings to prepare you for the election.

We will assign polling locations and shifts on a first come/first serve basis, accommodating requests the best we can. There are two shifts, morning and late afternoon.

 Any Republican registered to vote in Valencia County may be a Poll Challenger.

 BUT! The following CANNOT serve as Poll Challengers: 

(1) Candidates. 

(2) A spouse, parent, child, brother or sister of any candidate.

(3) Anyone married to a parent, child, brother, or sister of any candidate. 

(4) Anyone who is a sheriff, deputy sheriff, marshal, deputy marshal, or state or municipal police officer.

WHAT HAPPENS AT THE POLLING SITES?

 The general flow at the polling site is:

1.      Poll Workers verify the person is registered to vote in Valencia County

2.      Poll Workers Print out the Ballot

3.      Voters Place their Ballot into the Tabulator

 1)      Tabulator – Black boxy machine into which only Voted Ballots are placed.

a)      They are not connected to the internet.

b)      They are not connected to Wi-Fi.

c)      Dominion software is used to scan and count ballots.

d)      They have two compartments that collect ballots:  Top collects ballots that contain write in votes.  Bottom collects all other ballots placed in Tabulator.

e)      They have paper tapes that should begin at zero (0) for each candidate.  When all ballots have been tabulated, the zero tape and first results tape is sent to the County Clerk.  The second tape is sent to Secretary of State.  With the pre-approval of the County Chairman, an additional copy may be given to the poll challenger (on Election Day).

f)       Each tabulator has two CF cards that collect votes cast at that Tabulator. One CF card is sent to County Clerk when tabulation has been completed at the polling site and one is retained in the tabulator (on Election Day).

2)      Computers – Computers are used as an electronic roster with the list of registered voters.

a)      Computers are connected to the internet

i)        Computers pull information directly from the County Clerk’s registration system.

ii)        Dominion software is used to generate ballots and permits.

b)      Poll Workers can only see the following information

i)        Name

ii)      Address

iii)     Year of Birth

iv)     Voter Status – voters in an inactive or active status are eligible to vote once the voter goes through the verification process.  Voter ID is not required unless the poll official receives a notice on the screen that requests voter ID.  A new voter that has registered through the mail without supplying the required ID is required to provide an ID.

c)      Computers generate ballots and permits. Permits are used to help track the number of ballots issued by the computers.

3)      Ballots – There are five types of possible ballots

a)      Regular – These are issued to people who are verified by the Poll Worker as an eligible voter and to individuals that update their voter registration with the designated County Clerk’s employee at the polling site during Early voting, Extended Early voting, and on Election Day. Regular ballots may be placed in the Tabulator.

i)        A 17 year old who is registered to vote and turns 18 on or before Election Day, may vote in the Primaries.

b)      Spoiled – Spoiled ballots are those ballots that were improperly marked and should not be counted. Spoiled ballots are given to the Presiding Judge who then authorizes a Replacement ballot be printed.

c)      Replacement ballot – This ballot replaces the Spoiled ballot and may be placed in the Tabulator.  A replacement ballot can also be issued when a voter, who has requested an absentee by mail ballot, has decided to vote in person.  An affidavit to cancel the original ballot is printed (term used is “void absentee”) and signed by the voter and Presiding judge, and then the replacement ballot is issued and can be placed in the tabulator.

d)      Provisional – Provisional ballots may only be issued if approved by the Presiding Judge and County Clerk’s office. Provisional ballots are not placed in the Tabulator.  All provisional ballots are given to the Presiding Judge who submits them to the County Clerk’s office. Provisional Ballots are reviewed at the County Clerk’s office at a specified time set by the County Clerk during the canvassing process. Poll Challengers may be present to view the canvassing process.

e)      Absentee – Absentee Ballots may be dropped off at any Polling Site. A person may only drop off one (1) Absentee ballot. (Exception, a person may also drop off an absentee ballot for a family member) Absentee Ballots are given to the Presiding Judge who places them in the Absentee Envelop and delivers them to the County Clerk’s office every day.

4)      Ballot Counts – At the end of the day, the daily report counts generated on the computers must match the ballot counts on the tabulators.

5)      Ballot Boxes – Each tabulator is associated with a ballot box, which will remain empty until the ballots are removed from the tabulator and placed in them. (At the end of Early/Extended early voting and on Election Day).

6)      Same Day Registration at Polling Sites – During Early, Extended Early, and on Election Day individuals may sign up as a new voter, change their address, or if not already registered as a Democrat, Republican, or Libertarian, may change their party affiliation and vote in the Primary.

a)      Only the designated County Clerk’s employee may register new voters and update voter registrations. The County Clerk’s employee may not use paper voter registration to register a new voter or update an existing voter.  Individuals must provide a voter ID.

b)      The Poll workers will be collecting information from new voters and those who wish to update their voter registration. They enter this information into a tablet which sends the information to the County Clerk’s employee. When the employee approves the update or new registration a regular ballot is issued.

i)        In order to register and vote in New Mexico, an applicant must be:

(1)   A resident of New Mexico

(2)   A citizen of the United States

(3)   An individual who has not been denied the right to vote by a court of law due to reason of mental incapacity

(4)   18 years or older at the time of the next election

(5)   If a person has been convicted of a felony, they must have completed all of the terms and conditions of parole or supervised probation, or have had the conviction overturned on appeal

 Anything can and will happen.  If we're not there while it happens, we can't do a thing about it.

 PLEASE VOLUNTEER TO SERVE AS A RPVC POLL CHALLENGER (AND PLEASE RECRUIT OTHERS!) by sending an email to gop@valenciagop.org  (include your name, email address, home address, and phone number).

 Thank you,

Joleen Chavez, Poll Challenger Committee Chair                                                                  

505-563-0184