CHESAPEAKE, Va. — Working in the Chesapeake Registrar since 1999, Mary Lynn Pinkerman thought nothing could surprise her during election season. That is, until this year's Virginia gubernatorial race.
“I didn’t think so but, this one? Maybe!" Pinkerman laughed.
Days before the November election, some cities in Hampton Roads are reporting an increased number of poll watchers, rates are unlike anything they’ve seen before.
Officials in Chesapeake and Virginia Beach say the number of poll watchers for this election has outpaced what they normally see even for presidential races.
“We haven’t taken a single step in this entire election where someone hasn’t been watching our every move," Pinkerman said, now the Director of Elections and General Registrar in Chesapeake.
Poll watchers are not poll workers, but rather certified representatives of political parties allowed to observe the election process. They must still follow certain restrictions while observing, like not hindering anyone's right to vote.
“I’m surprised they’re able to come up with this number of staffing," Pinkerman said, adding that the influx is from both sides of the aisle.
In Chesapeake, all seven early voting locations have seen weeks of dedicated poll watching, and officials say they expect all of the more than 60 voting locations across the city on election day to have poll watchers present.
Pinkerman believes President Trump’s false claims of a stolen election have led to a higher focus on election fairness.
“It’s always been available that they could do this, but since the last election, having so many questions about the process and not understanding how things work on our end," Pinkerman said.