HOUSTON, TEXAS — Texas-based election watchdog True the Vote announced the release of its poll watcher training program available free to the public amid the 2014 Midterm Election. The group argues the tool has come at a critical time when states have updated a number of election laws and partisan groups have “generated considerable confusion” with lawsuits to block laws like photo voter identification.
The training module has been made available on the group’s website, according to a statement. A live, online training session has been scheduled for Thursday, October 23.
Though poll watcher placement rules and guidelines vary between states, True the Vote generally broke down the process to a few simple steps.
The citizen group told Breitbart Texas that the best resource against voter fraud and other election problems are voters “standing up for the rule of law” when votes are cast.
“Lawsuits brought by progressive organizations alongside the Holder Justice Department have caused incredible amounts of confusion ahead of November,” Engelbrecht added. “Some state’s voter ID laws have been blocked, while others are on schedule. Some early voting sessions are so lengthy that county budgets and manpower are stretched thin – allowing for more opportunity that problems go unnoticed.”
True the Vote says that citizen poll watchers are the simple answer.
“Every eligible citizen deserves a fair shot at a drama-free voting experience,” Engelbrecht said. “If something goes wrong, a poll watcher is well-placed to offer confirmation to any complaint received.”
Originally based and operating solely in the Houston, Texas area, True the Vote expanded its training efforts nationally in 2012 and would later take center stage in the IRS targeting scandal still under investigation by Congress and the FBI. The group said its poll watcher training program drew heightened interest in the early days of the targeting.
“Take a look at election history,” Engelbrecht said. “Political parties and interest groups have used poll watchers over time to solely protect their own interests — sometimes at the expense of other voters that might not agree. Never before had a movement organically spread with the goal of standing up for the law, not a political interest group.”
Engelbrecht asserts that if “regular citizens watching for wrongdoing” can put established political groups on edge, they must be doing something right.
Follow Marie Proctor on Twitter @marieemazzanti
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