4 ms·

there were a lot of people who wanted to observe polls. many of them were arrested for "disrupting voting process", or were pushed all the way out of the pollin

• thrwn_frthr_awy 6y ago
  It is important to understand who the poll watchers are and what their motives are. In the U.S. in the 1980's poll watching was used as a cover for voter intimidation when white males in combat boots and 10 gallon cowboy hats and even some with guns, many off-duty police officers, were recruited and sent to African American and Latino communities to stand near polling places with signs saying they are patrolling the area.
  • hippich 6y ago
    What you are saying is true. But it is irrelevant in Belarus. See picture above representing a typical independent observer in Belarus.
    • thrwn_frthr_awy 6y ago
      Oh definitely. I wasn't trying to imply this is the situation in Belarus and I apologize if it came off that way, just that poll watching (like most things) can be used for both good and for evil, so it important to make sure there are safeguards in place for the latter.
      • taejo 6y ago
        One of those safeguards is just having more poll observers. Of course, most of the time in functioning democracies it's going to be a lot more boring than that -- in my personal experience you just say hi to your counterparts from other organizations and then watch in silence as everything runs smoothly according to the rules. EDIT: it should without saying that observers not being allowed to bring weapons into polling places should be one of those rules!