Nebraska Statutes 32-961. Poll watchers; eligibility; appointment; notice required
(1)(a) To be eligible to be a poll watcher, an individual shall be either:
Terms Used In Nebraska Statutes 32-961
- Candidate: shall mean a registered voter for whom votes may be cast at any election and who, either tacitly or expressly, consents to be considered. See Nebraska Statutes 32-104
- Election: shall mean any statewide or local primary, special, joint, or general election at which registered voters of the state or the political subdivision holding the election by ballot choose public officials or decide any questions and propositions lawfully submitted to them. See Nebraska Statutes 32-108
- Person: shall include bodies politic and corporate, societies, communities, the public generally, individuals, partnerships, limited liability companies, joint-stock companies, and associations. See Nebraska Statutes 49-801
- Poll watcher: means an individual appointed pursuant to section 32-961 who is legally in a polling place to observe the conduct of the election. See Nebraska Statutes 32-112.01
- Precinct: shall mean a defined area established by law within which all registered voters cast their votes at one polling place. See Nebraska Statutes 32-114
- Process: shall mean a summons, subpoena, or notice to appear issued out of a court in the course of judicial proceedings. See Nebraska Statutes 49-801
- Registered voter: shall mean an elector who has a valid voter registration record on file with the election commissioner or county clerk in the county of his or her residence. See Nebraska Statutes 32-115
- State: when applied to different states of the United States shall be construed to extend to and include the District of Columbia and the several territories organized by Congress. See Nebraska Statutes 49-801
(i) A registered voter of this state; or
(ii) An individual representing a state-based, national, or international election monitoring organization.
(b) A candidate or a spouse of a candidate on the ballot at the election shall not be eligible for appointment as a poll watcher at such election.
(2) For poll watchers eligible under subdivision (1)(a)(i) of this section, any political party in Nebraska, a candidate for election in Nebraska not affiliated with a political party, an organization of persons interested in a question on the ballot, or a nonpartisan organization interested in Nebraska’s elections and the elective process may appoint one or more poll watchers. Any such person or organization intending to appoint one or more poll watchers shall provide written notification to the election commissioner or county clerk of the county in which the poll watchers will be active on election day no later than the close of business on the Wednesday prior to election day. The notification shall include a list of appointed poll watchers and a list of the precincts that the poll watchers plan to observe and shall be provided prior to each election at which one or more poll watchers will be active. A poll watcher shall not be denied entry to a polling place because the poll watcher is not on the list or because the precinct is not on the list.
(3) For poll watchers eligible under subdivision (1)(a)(ii) of this section, any national or international election monitoring organization intending to appoint one or more poll watchers shall provide written notification to the Secretary of State no later than the close of business on the Wednesday prior to election day. The notification shall include a list of appointed poll watchers and a list of the counties and precincts to be observed and shall be provided prior to each election at which one or more poll watchers will be active.