INDEPENDENCE, Mo. — As people head to the polls, election commissioners across the Kansas City metro are keeping a close eye on voter safety.
Depending on the poll location, there may be people outside favoring one candidate or another — and that’s legal.
"In Missouri, the law is that electioneers can approach voters 25 feet from the door of the polling place, so they can’t be within 25 feet but they can be beyond 25 feet," said Corey Dillon, director of the Jackson County Election Board.
But voter intimidation, such as when someone threatens another person to vote a certain way, is not legal. Federal law prohibits such acts, which can result in prison time.
Dillon said Jackson County officials haven’t really had that problem in the past and don’t anticipate it during this election cycle either. But if it does happen, Dillon told 41 Action News that election officials are prepared.
"If something just doesn’t seem right, we’ll send somebody out to take a look, and it may very well be one of us depending on the situation," Dillon said.
Voters may also see poll monitors outside or poll watchers inside the polling location. According to Dillon, those people have to be authorized by the local political party committee and be a registered voter in that area, so they’re not from out-of-state.
"We’ll let our poll workers know to expect them," Dillon added. "They’ll have something that they wear on Election Day to designate who they are so that voters wonder why is this person just sitting back there watching."
If voters do experience problems, Dillon said to let the local election commission know.
As for Jackson County, a bipartisan team will be traveling to different polling sites throughout the day to make sure there’s nothing for voters to worry about.
"I think we’re going to be prepared for a smooth Election Day," Dillon said.
If there are unruly electioneers or protesters, the board is working on a plan with Jackson County officials and local police jurisdictions to respond.
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