Increase in poll watchers expected this election season
Cameron County Elections Administrator Remi Garza said he’s expecting a big turnout at the polls for the November midterm elections.
There are currently 227,000 registered voters in Cameron County, an increase of 7,000 from October 2021.
“There's a lot of community interest, which is great," Garza said. “I think a lot more people are engaged in the election process, I think people are finally recognizing the importance of every election cycle."
This year, voters can expect to see some changes at polling locations across the Valley thanks to new election code laws in Texas.
Garza said he’s expecting an increase in the amount of partisan poll watchers compared to previous elections.
“They're not there to coach, they're not there to advise, really they're just there to observe what's happening at a polling place,” Garza said.
Poll watchers are the eyes and ears of polling locations, their role is to observe the voting process and keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary.
If something suspicious is seen, they report it to an election judge or their respective party.
Early voting begins Monday, October 24 and runs until Friday, November 4.
Election Day is Tuesday, November 8.