Thursday’s Kansas Register, which is published by the Kansas Secretary of State Ron Thornburgh, shows new permanent administrative regulations concerning the oversight of authorized poll agents. These new regulations go into effect on July 7, 2008:
7-45-2. Oversight of authorized poll agents. (a) The
supervising judge shall instruct each authorized poll
agent appointed to the polling place of all requirements
pertaining to authorized poll agents that are issued by
the county election officer or given in Kansas law.
(b) If a poll agent does not comply with the requirements,
any election board worker may ask the poll agent
to correct or cease the improper or illegal activity or to
leave the polling place. This activity shall be reported to
the county election officer.
(c) The election board workers shall ensure that the poll
agents do not engage in any activities that would constitute
election crimes, including the following:
(1) Electioneering, as defined in K.S.A. 25-2430 and
amendments thereto;
(2) voter intimidation, as defined in K.S.A. 25-2415 and
amendments thereto;
(3) disorderly election conduct, as defined in K.S.A. 25-
2413 and amendments thereto;
(4) unauthorized voting disclosure, as defined in K.S.A.
25-2422 and amendments thereto; and
(5) voting machine fraud, as defined in K.S.A. 25-2425
and amendments thereto.
(d) The election board workers shall prevent the poll
agents from performing the following:
(1) Touching or handling any voter’s ballot during the
voting process;
(2) distributing ballots or counting ballots;
(3) hindering or obstructing any voter from voting or
from entering and leaving the polling place; and
(4) hindering or obstructing any election board worker
from performing election duties. (Authorized by and implementing
K.S.A. 25-3005; effective July 7, 2008.)
The Nov 8, 2006 Hutchinson News reported problems in the 2006 elections that these new regulations will address:
in Sedgwick County, there were two instances in which partisan poll watchers had to be told to keep the legally mandated 3 feet away from voters, Wing said.
Sedgwick County Election Commissioner Bill Gale added that sporadic questions arose about the poll watchers’ activities.
“Most of it centers around what they’re allowed to do and not do,” he said.
In 2006 some problems were also noted in Johnson County in some precincts that had as many as two or three poll watchers keeping track of every voter. Tracking of voters like this was likely used for last minute calls to potential voters who had not showed up to vote earlier in the day.
Also in the Kansas Register are new regulations about storage of voting equipment and voting equipment security.
Related:
- Complaint claims Democrat Raj Goyle and his supporters were campaigning too close to the polls Nov. 7, Wichita Eagle, Dec 10, 2006.
Tags: election, poll agents
