Registrars Prepare for Campaginers on Election Day

Chesapeake, Va (WAVY)- - Presidential candidates are battling it out in the commonwealth to win your vote. Supporters plan to have a big presence at the polls, and on the streets.
Officials say that could lead to some aggressive campaigning on election day. Registrars are preparing now for potential problems.

As election day is drawing closer so is the end of the signs, the props, and the ads of campaign season. Some voters say it couldn't come soon enough.

"It's been terrible. It's been terrible. It's really really been terrible," said Clifton Boyd Senior,a Chesapeake voter.

"This is the worse it's been for as long as I can remember and I'm 81 years old,"said Fran Orluck, a Chesapeake voter.

And, registrars are not expecting it to stop on election day. Many are already hearing of campaigners threatening to get pushy at the polls.

"There is a group and we don't know the name of them, but they have said that they are going to challenge people's identity outside the polling place. They are going to walk up and down the lines and ask people for their identification," said Al Spradlin, Chesapeake Registar.

It's a type of voter intimidation, registrars like Chesapeake's Al Spradlin won't stand for. He says campaigners are under strict rules not to interrupt the voting process,especially the campaign poll watcher expected to set up inside the polls.

"They can't talk to voters. They can't give voters a piece of paper.They can't suggest to a voter anything about the election or give any political opinion what so ever," said Spradlin.

Outside, campaigners can hand out materials, but they must be 40 feet away from the entrance. Chesapeake has even formed a task force

"We want an authority figure there with a badge and a gun to say, 'No you can't do that' so we take this very seriously, Voter intimidation is not something we want to hear," said Spradlin.

If you see any misconduct at the polls, registrars say: call police so they can conduct an investigation.