A Missouri judge rejected a Republican official's bid to have election watchers at early voting polls.
Early voting for the November 5 election is well underway with millions of ballots already cast. Over 44 million voters have already cast their ballot, according to an article by The New York Times published on Tuesday,
In Missouri, early voting started on October 22 and turnout has been heavy in many places, including St. Charles County, which saw over 35,000 early votes cast as of Monday, according to the Missouri Independent.
On Friday, Judge Dewayne Johnson denied St. Charles County Central Committeeman Travis Allen Heins' request to allow watchers or challengers to observe early voting.
Each political party on the election ballot can designate a challenger for every polling place on Election Day, according to Missouri law.
What Did Judge Johnson Say?
Johnson wrote that the document filed by Heins "fails to satisfy the requirements" of a temporary restraining order.
The judge dismissed the case because Heins' request wasn't written in a way that met state legal standards. Johnson did not consider the merits of the case.
What Did Committeeman Heins Say?
Heins told The Associated Press, "I'm not an attorney and never claimed to be."
He said Johnson's ruling was disappointing but that his bid "opens the conversation" about the need to clarify the roles of watchers and challengers during Missouri's early voting period.
Heins' challenge argued that he should be allowed to observe the voting process now because ballots are really tabulated as soon as voters put them through a scanner.
"When election authorities deny the presence of a Challenger or Watcher, the safety and transparency of the elections are compromised," Heins wrote in the court document.
What Have Election Officials Said?
St. Charles County Director of Elections Kurt Bahr welcomed Johnson's ruling but also hoped state lawmakers would take up the issue.
"Election challengers from both political parties will be present at several polling locations on election day as state law allows," Bahr said in a statement. "We hope that the legislature can provide clarity on this issue during their next session."
Baher expected 2,500 voters per day during the early voting period. Daily ballots cast, however, have often reached roughly 5,000.
St. Charles County is Missorui's third-largest county. It is located in suburban St. Louis and has roughly 420,000 residents.
Missouri has voted for the Republican candidate in the past six presidential elections. Former President Donald Trump, the GOP nominee, has a double-digit lead over Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, in the state (54.8 to 41.1 percent) as of Friday, according to poll aggregator FiveThirtyEight which has minimal polling data on Missouri.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.
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