Kootenai County election staff addresses rule violation

COEUR d’ALENE — After a poll watcher allegedly violated a rule on Monday meant to protect voting information, Kootenai County election staff said they addressed the matter quickly.

Erin Barnard, a blogger who operates the Kootenai County Spectator website, posted on Telegram that she was watching county staff sort absentee ballots Monday morning.

She shared a screenshot of the county’s official live stream, pointing out where she was in the room, and posted a photo of election staff as they worked. She did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Poll watchers are not permitted to use cellphones. The policy is in place to protect the privacy of voters.

“Every phone has a camera,” said Kootenai County Clerk Jim Brannon. “When you shoot a photo, you can try to zoom in and maybe capture some voter data. That can’t happen.”

Brannon said he acted immediately when he learned that a poll watcher had violated the county’s policy.

“It was pretty simple,” he said. “Either you take your phone out of here or you take yourself out of here.”

Barnard reportedly complied with the request to remove her phone from the ballot-sorting room.

The county’s live stream appeared to show Brannon speak with Barnard, who left the room with him for several minutes before returning.

Brannon confirmed to The Press that Barnard was the only poll watcher Monday.