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What is a watcher?
Just like it sounds: A watcher is an election observer appointed by a candidate or interested party of a ballot issue/question.
Each candidate for office, or the Issue Committees in support of or against a ballot issue or ballot question, at a local government election is entitled to appoint an eligible elector to serve as a watcher in every polling place in which he or she is a candidate or in which the issue or question is on the ballot.
C.R.S. Section 1-13.5-602(1)
Who may be a watcher?
Only eligible electors of the district may serve as watchers in the district’s election.
Watchers shall take an oath administered by one of the election judges that they are eligible electors, that their name has been submitted to the designated election official as a watcher for this election, and that they will not in any manner make known to anyone the result of counting votes until the polls have closed.
C.R.S. Section 1-13.5-602(2)
Watcher – Certificate of appointment & oath: SD-62
Who is prohibited from being a watcher?
Neither a current candidate for director nor any immediate family member, to the second degree, of such candidate is eligible to serve as a watcher for that candidate.
C.R.S. Section 1-13.5-602(1)(a)(I)
What may watchers observe or do?
A watcher serving at the polling place has the right to remain inside the polling place from at least fifteen minutes prior to the opening of the polls until after the completion of the count of votes cast at the election and the certification of the count by the election judges. Each watcher may maintain a list of eligible electors as the names are announced by the election judges and witness each step in the conduct of the election.
Watchers may also challenge a person’s right to vote.
C.R.S. Section 1-13.5-602(1)(c)
What are watchers prohibited from doing?
Duly appointed Watchers may observe election judges but may not
- Interrupt or disrupt the processing, verification and counting of any ballots or any other stage of the election.
- Watchers may track the names of electors who have cast ballots by utilizing their previously obtained lists, but may not write down any ballot numbers or any other identifying information about the electors.
- Watchers may not handle the poll books, self-affirming oath and affirmation forms, ballots, mail ballot envelopes, mail-in ballot envelopes or provisional ballot envelopes, voting or counting machines or machine components.
- Watchers shall not interfere with the orderly process and conduct of any election, including ballot issuance, receiving of ballots, voting or counting of the ballots.
- Watchers may not be allowed to interact with election officials or election judges, except for the individual identified by the DEO.
Watchers shall not have a cellular phone, camera, recording device, laptop or tablet, or other electronic data capture device in the polling place.
C.R.S. Section 1-13.5-602(3)
What options does the DEO have if a watcher misbehaves?
A designated election official may remove a watcher upon finding that the watcher commits or encourages fraud in connection with his or her duties, violates any of the limitations outlined in this article, violates his or her oath, or is abusive or threatening toward election officials or any other person.
C.R.S. Section 1-13.5-602(4)