Observers - in Ohio, we're permitted anywhere any part of the voting activity is taking place (including being close enough to listen to conversations with voters, and being present before, and after the polls close until the votes are sent back to the BOE (in a vehicle with both a D and an R)). Don't kick us out - we might notice something critical (and we're trained not to fight you unless it is a critical issue because the consequences of being kicked out are that no one else will be observing that site). Sub note: Listen to the Dem observers. We're not all perfect, but dems have been doing this for years and often know more about the rules than precinct workers (who are often not trained every election).
Provisional ballots - everyone who is entitled to vote a provisional ballot should be able to do so. Everyone else should be offered a provisional ballot - UNLESS you confirm that they need to be in a different physical location where they can vote a regular ballot.
Also:
Keep an eye out for election workers who don't know what they are doing. Everyone I have met (D and R) is well-intentioned. But - as noted above - not all of them receive training every election cycle. Rules change. Memories fade. Especially when potential access to a voter's ballot is involved (voting assistance, opening up the ballot box because of a jam, closing up at the end of the day.
Review all of the documents they give you. Review all of the documentation on the state BOE. If permitted, take the Democratic Poll Observer training. Then review everything a half-dozen more times. The rules are complex. The more familiar you are with them, the better you will be able to correctly handle situations.
Ask for help. Consult the manual. Do anything to find the right answer rather than just guessing. It is far more critical to get things right than to preserve the impression you know everything. Not that I've seen that happen.
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