Judge John: Election protection attorney and poll watcher

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Why would you give up a full day of productivity on your job to volunteer for one of these tasks? What exactly is it you do?


For multiple election cycles, Judge John has volunteered to support the election process by acting in the role of an election protection attorney, which doubles as a poll watcher.
An election protection attorney is an attorney at law who undergoes special training to learn about the law relating to elections. That attorney is then authorized by a campaign or political party and certified by the supervisor of elections to be permitted to be in voting polls on election day, or at early voting.


We all took an oath to uphold every vote, for every properly registered citizen, regardless of party. Initially, many volunteers are placed in a single poll and work the same hours as does the precinct manager and staff to watch to be sure that the opening takes place on time and is carried out properly, and that the same thing occurs in reverse at the end of the day, with the votes properly counted.


After gaining some experience, one may be asked to serve in a rover role, or even become a precinct captain. This is pretty cool because throughout the day one is authorized to visit multiple polling locations. It is very interesting to see how very different one precinct may be from another. Judge John has observed locations that are as quiet as a tomb, while others have a loud party atmosphere just outside of the poll perimeter, while the inside features a low hum of activity.


An important thing to observe is that within the poll perimeter and in the precinct, the election protection attorney and poll watcher may not speak to anyone other than the precinct manager. Judge John has regularly observed individuals of all parties, including both major parties, working together to assist properly registered citizens to cast their vote. Every effort is made that a regular vote is cast, and when that fails, an effort is made to allow a provisional ballot to be cast.


While there have certainly been efforts at voter intimidation and effort to squeeze the vote, Judge John has been fortunate to serve in areas where this has rarely, if ever, occurred. I would note that in multiple instances in the 2020 election, I was able to visit with friends who were serving the party other than mine. Courtesy was always observed. Civilized behavior is what we need to get our country back on track.


In closing, I want to share that one of the most moving parts of the experience is just before the poll opens in the morning having the precinct manager issue an oath to all of the precinct workers. This is a beautiful thing to observe and is the key to democracy at its most basic level. Long live our republic.

John Miller is the Special Magistrate for the City of Neptune Beach. His law firm, Rock Solid Law, focuses on Estate Planning, Real Estate Closings and Title, and representing entrepreneurial small Business Owners. (904) 241-1113