Observe and report
Civic Engagement Alliance board president and community organizer Jessica Mahuron takes a few notes at the Lake City High School polling place Tuesday as part of an effort to report incidents of electioneering or voter intimidation on Election Day.
DEVIN WEEKS/Press
The Civic Engagement Alliance served as eyes and ears of polling places on Tuesday.
About 20 observers from the alliance made rounds to watch for electioneering, intimidation and other signs of voter interference.
Volunteer Theresa Potts of Coeur d'Alene said she was participating because she had felt anxious about the threatening language President Donald Trump used leading up to Election Day.
"I want the elections to go smoothly and straightforwardly," Potts said. "That's it. That’s why I’m here."
The Civic Engagement Alliance is a nonpartisan nonprofit with a mission to generate grassroots community engagement for the common good.
Volunteers spent Election Day communicating with one another what they were seeing at the polls, whether all was well or if anything was being reported to the Election Protection Hotline. Election Protection is a national, nonpartisan coalition that works to ensure all voters have an equal opportunity to vote and have that vote count.
“I don’t want people reporting things if it’s nothing reportable," Civic Engagment Alliance board president and community organizer Jessica Mahuron said. "We’re not here to cause even more issues. This is a stressful day for anyone working elections right now."
Mahuron said she was motivated to quickly mobilize a team of volunteer observers after hearing about incidents that took place while people were in long lines voting at the Kootenai County Elections Office last week. A friend contacted her that he and others felt uncomfortable about how close the line came to people handing out Republican sample ballots, although the table where the people were stationed was about 100 feet away from the building.
“There’s nothing illegal about this, but what does get really questionable is when you start engaging the line, or interfering with the line," Mahuron said. "I don’t feel like that’s right. It might not be against the law, but it’s not right."
It doesn't matter whose name or party is involved, she said.
"If there was someone from the Biden campaign, or from anywhere else, I would be taking the same action. Absolutely," she said. "We’re just looking for if there’s electioneering within 100 feet or if there is voter intimidation, those types of things."