What does it mean to challenge a voter's eligibility, and who can do it? (2020)

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What does it mean to challenge a voter's eligibility?

Broadly speaking, when an individual (e.g., election worker, poll watcher, etc.) challenges a voter, the challenger is questioning the eligibility of the voter to cast a ballot in an election. Challenges can be lodged against voters in both in-person and absentee/mail-in voting settings.

Why might someone challenge a voter's eligibility?

An individual can challenge a voter if he or she suspects that the voter is not qualified to vote. Specific voter qualifications vary from state to state, but every state requires an individual to be a U.S. citizen, a state resident, and 18 years or older in order to vote.

Who can challenge a voter's eligibility?

All but four states (Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, and Washington) provide a way for individuals to challenge the qualifications of a voter on Election Day. The classes of individuals qualified to make challenges vary from state to state. The table below breaks down the state-by-state criteria for challenging a voter. For the purposes of this table, an election official is an election administrator or poll worker. A poll watcher is an individual authorized under state law to observe activities at a polling place, usually as the representative of a political party.

Who can challenge a voter's eligibility?
State	Who can challenge a voter's eligibility?	Citation
Alabama	Election officials	Alabama Code 17-10-2
Alaska	Any eligible voter	Alaska Stat. § 15-15-210
Arizona	Any eligible voter	Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 16-591
Arkansas	Election officials and poll watchers	Ark. Code Ann. § 7-5-312
California	Election officials	California Elections Code Ann. § 14240
Colorado	Any eligible voter	Colo. Rev. Stat. § 1-9-201
Connecticut	Election officials	Conn. Gen. Stat. § 9-232
Delaware	Election officials and poll watchers	Del. Code Ann. tit. 15, § 4934
Florida	Any eligible voter	Fla. Stat. § 101.111
Georgia	Any eligible voter	Ga. Code Ann. § 21-2-230
Hawaii	Any eligible voter	Haw. Rev. Stat. § 11-25
Idaho	Any eligible voter	Idaho Code § 34-431
Illinois	Any eligible voter	Illinois Guide for Pollwatchers
Indiana	Election officials and poll watchers	Indiana Election Day Handbook
Iowa	Any eligible voter	Iowa Code §49.79
Kansas	Election officials	Kan. Stat. Ann. § 25-414
Kentucky	Election officials and poll watchers	Ky. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 117.315
Louisiana	Any eligible voter	Louisiana Rev. Statutes § 18:565
Maine	Any eligible voter	21-A Me. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 673
Maryland	Any eligible voter	Md. Ann. Code Art. 33, § 10-311
Massachusetts	Any eligible voter	Massachusetts Secretary of State Election Day Legal Summary
Michigan	Election officials and poll watchers	Mich. Comp. Laws § 168.730
Minnesota	Any eligible voter	Minn. Stat. § 204C.12
Mississippi	Any eligible voter	Miss. Code. Ann. § 23-15-571
Missouri	Any eligible voter	Mo. Rev. Stat. § 15-115.429.1
Montana	Any eligible voter	Mont. Code. Ann. § 13-13-301
Nebraska	Any eligible voter	Neb. Rev. Stat. § 32-926
Nevada	Any eligible voter	Nev. Rev. Stat. § 293.303
New Hampshire	Any eligible voter	N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 659. 27
New Jersey	Election officials and poll watchers	N.J. Stat. Ann. § 19:15-18
New Mexico	Election officials and poll watchers	N.M. Stat. Ann. § 1-2-20
New York	Any eligible voter	N.Y. Election Law § 8-502
North Carolina	Any eligible voter	N.C. Gen. Stat. § 163‑87
North Dakota	Election officials	N.D. Cent. Code § 16.1-05-06
Ohio	Election officials	Ohio Rev. Code Ann. § 3505.20
Oklahoma	N/A
Oregon	N/A
Pennsylvania	Any eligible voter	Pa. Consol. Stat. Ann. § 3050
Rhode Island	Election officials and poll watchers	R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-19-22
South Carolina	Any eligible voter	S.C. Code Ann. § 7-13-810
South Dakota	Any eligible voter	S.D. Codified Laws § 12-18-10
Tennessee	Any eligible voter	Tenn. Code. Ann. § 2-7-123
Texas	N/A
Utah	Any eligible voter	Utah Code Ann. § 20A-3-202.5
Vermont	Election officials and poll watchers	Vt. Stat. Ann. tit. 17, § 2564
Virginia	Any eligible voter	Va. Code Ann. § 24.2-651
Washington	N/A
West Virginia	Election officials	W. Va. Code § 3-1-41
Wisconsin	Any eligible voter	Wis. Stat. § 6.92, 6.925
Wyoming	Election officials	Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 22-15-108

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• Articles about potential scenarios in the 2020 election
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See also

• Voting policies in the United States
• Election governance by state

Related articles

• National Association of Secretaries of State, "Individuals Authorized to Challenge a Voter's Eligibility on Election Day," accessed October 27, 2020
• National Conference of State Legislatures, "Poll Watchers and Challengers," October 1, 2020