LOS ANGELES, Oct. 17 (UPI) -- Some 25,000 extra U.S. poll watchers, including lawyers and computer experts, are expected outside and inside precinct stations Nov. 2.
Ballot boxes and voting machines have been watched for hundreds of years and, in some states, political parties send representatives to observe vote tabulations, while in other places the League of Women Voters is authorized to watch votes tabulated.
However, recent voter registration mistakes, election machine defects and other problems have resulted in beefed up efforts to monitor the vote tally.
A coalition of 60 liberal and independent organizations, including churches, civic groups, unions and minority rights groups, has created a computerized tracking system to follow possible election day breakdowns, reported the Los Angeles Times Sunday. However, since liberal groups such as the People for the American Way Foundation are involved in the coalition, some believe the coalition is laying the groundwork for legal challenges to the outcome of the presidential race.
Elliot Mincberg, legal director for People for the American Way Foundation, dismisses such concerns, saying the coalition includes the League of Women Voters, the National Council of Churches and other non-partisan groups.
