North Carolina Administrative Code › Title 08 - ELECTIONS › Chapter 20 - Election Observers › Section 20 .0101 - ELECTION OBSERVERS

Current through Register Vol. 39, No. 2, July 15, 2024
(a) Observer Lists.
			 The chair of each political party in a county may designate two
			 precinct-specific observers to attend each voting place on Election Day and
			 each one-stop site during a primary or general election in accordance with this
			 Rule. The precinct-specific observer list may include up to eight names and
			 shall include the times that each observer shall serve. The county party chair
			 may designate 10 additional at-large observers who may attend any voting place
			 in the county. The list of observers for one-stop must designate the names of
			 the observers who will be present on each day of early voting and, for
			 precinct-specific observers, at each one-stop site. At-large observers may
			 serve at any one-stop site. The chair of each State political party may
			 designate up to 100 additional at-large observers who are residents of the
			 State who may attend any voting place in the State.
(b) Submission of Lists. The county party
			 chair shall submit a written, signed list of county at-large observers to the
			 county director of elections, with two copies provided to the chair of the
			 county board of elections, prior to 10:00 a.m. on the fifth day prior to
			 Election Day. The county party chair shall submit a written, signed list of the
			 observers appointed for each precinct to the chief judge of each precinct, with
			 two copies provided to the chair of the county board of elections, prior to
			 10:00 a.m. on the fifth day prior to Election Day; the list may be delivered in
			 care of the county director of elections. The county party chair shall submit
			 the list of observers for one-stop before 10:00 a.m. on the fifth day before
			 the observer is to observe. The list of at-large observers to serve on Election
			 Day may be amended prior to Election Day to substitute one or all of the
			 at-large observers. The list of at-large observers who serve during early
			 voting may not be amended after 10:00 a.m. on the fifth day before the at-large
			 observer is to observe. The list of precinct-specific observers to serve on
			 Election Day may not be amended after 10:00 a.m. on the fifth day prior to
			 Election Day. The State party chair shall submit the written, signed list of
			 State at-large observers by 10:00 a.m. on the fifth day prior to Election Day
			 to the State Board, which shall disseminate the list to the county boards of
			 elections. The list shall include the full name of each at-large observer and
			 the county in which the observer is registered. The State Board shall confirm
			 that each State at-large observer is a registered voter of the State. Party
			 chairs may provide the lists by facsimile or email provided the letters are
			 signed. Scanned signatures are permissible.
(c) Observers at Voting Place. No more than
			 two precinct-specific observers from each political party may be in the voting
			 enclosure at any time. Only one at-large observer from each political party may
			 be in the voting enclosure at any time, even if no precinct-specific observers
			 are present. All observers, whether precinct-specific or at-large, may be
			 relieved after serving no less than four hours; however, the total number of
			 observers from each party cannot exceed three total observers in the voting
			 enclosure at one time: two precinct-specific observers and one county or State
			 at-large observer. An observer may leave the voting place without having served
			 for four hours, but the observer cannot be replaced by a new observer until at
			 least four hours have passed since the first observer began serving. An
			 observer who leaves the voting place for any reason may be prohibited by the
			 chief judge from returning if the observer's return would cause a disruption in
			 the voting enclosure.
(d) Observer
			 Conduct. Observers who engage in prohibited conduct after receiving a warning
			 may be required by the chief judge to leave the voting enclosure. Prohibited
			 activities by observers include:
(1) Wearing
			 or distributing campaign material or electioneering;
(2) Impeding or disrupting the voting process
			 or speaking with voters or election assistants;
(3) Interfering with the privacy of the
			 voter, including positioning themselves in such a way that they can view
			 confidential voter information on poll books or laptops or standing in such a
			 way that they can view the contents of ballots inserted into a
			 tabulator;
(4) Using an electronic
			 device to film or take photographs inside the voting enclosure;
(5) Taking photographs, videos, or recording
			 a voter without the consent of the voter and the chief judge;
(6) Entering the voting booth area or
			 attempting to view voted ballots;
(7) Boarding a vehicle containing curbside
			 voters; and
(8) Providing voter
			 assistance.