Poll patrol: Observers train to monitor Nebraska elections

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – A Nebraska nonprofit is looking for volunteers to train to become poll observers.

Steve Smith with Civic Nebraska said the volunteers are just regular people coming together to make sure everyone gets the right to vote.

They can answer questions, direct people where to go and watch for anything suspicious.

A Channel 8 reporter went through the poll observer training process on Thursday.

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Smith said the volunteers help elections go smoother.

“While we hear a lot about irregularities or concerns around the country, Nebraska’s elections are administered very well,” he said. “And so election protection, even though it’s called protection, we call it election improvement.”

He said the volunteers act as third-party witnesses who make sure there’s nothing improper at the polls.

The observers have access to a hotline should any urgent problems come up.

Then, Civic Nebraska will reach out to election officials to try to fix the problem.

“It is one of the most important things you can do on election day other than voting,” he said. “To make sure all voters’ ballots are being submitted correctly, making sure that voter experience is strong and building up the confidence in our elections.”

Smith said he’s not concerned about political violence at the polls because the observers will be there.

“There’s a lot of noise around our elections right now. A lot of questions if they’re safe, secure and certified. They are,” he said, “Nebraska’s elections are excellent and one of the main things our election protection volunteers do is make sure the rules are fair, the elections are free and they’re no barriers to the ballot.”

To sign up to be a volunteer, you can go to civicnebraska.org, click on the election protection link and fill out the form.

Civic Nebraska will then reach out to schedule a virtual or in-person training shift.