TEXAS  —  In a letter dated October 31 and addressed to Texas election officials, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton stated his office has received reports of poll watchers being dismissed for not maintaining six feet of distance from voters or election workers.

“Dismissing poll watchers for this reason is inconsistent with guidance issued by the Secretary of State, and may constitute a violation of the Texas Election Code,” Paxton wrote.

RELATED: What Are the Rules Regarding Poll Watching?

In the letter, Paxton, who doesn’t cite any specific instances of this occurring, references Election Advisory No. 2020-19. The advisory states, in part: “While working, employees and polling place workers should maintain at least six feet separation from other individuals not within the same household, to the extent feasible.” 

Paxton's point, according to the letter, is that's it's not always feasible to maintain six feet of distance at a polling location. 

Poll watchers – sometimes called poll monitors or citizen observers – are trained to monitor polling locations and election offices that tally votes, looking for irregularities or ways to improve the system.

Partisan poll watchers will look for ways to ensure fairness for their preferred candidates or ballot propositions.

What poll watchers are not permitted to do is interfere with the conduct of an election. Some states, however, permit them to challenge a person’s eligibility to vote. That could cause an individual to have to cast a provisional ballot.