Challengers

Appointing Challengers (19:7-1 and 19:7-2)

  • Challengers are appointed to observe the conduct of an election on behalf of:
    • A candidate
    • A political party
    • The proponents or opponents of a question
  • The County Chairperson of each political party may appoint two challengers per election district.
  • A municipal Chairperson may appoint for the political party two challengers for each election district within the municipality.
  • Candidates whose names appear on the ballot automatically are challengers. They do not need to have a Challenger Badge.
  • A candidate for election may appoint two challengers for each election district in which he/she is to be voted for, but only two challengers shall be allowed for each election district to represent all candidates nominated in and by the same petition.
  • Not more than one challenger appointed for a party, candidate, or on a public question, shall be present at any one time in any polling place while serving and exercising the powers of a challenger and during the hours when the polls are open for voting. (19:7-6.1)
  • A County Chairman can appoint "at-large" challengers equal to the number of municipalities in the county. The "at-large" challenger shall be issued a county-wide permit that is to be presented to any district poll worker within the county. When leaving the polling place, such a challenger must reclaim the permit in order to gain entry to any other polling place.
  • It is the responsibility of the local party chairs to educate challengers about the position.

Challenger Forms

  1. Challenger Rules
  2. Challenger Packet