<u+201c>we have to make sure that this election is not stolen from us,<u+201d> donald trump told an audience in wilkes-barre, pa., on monday. it was only the latest of many attempts to cast doubt on the legitimacy of the election. in august, his campaign began inviting supporters to sign up online as <u+201c>trump election observers<u+201d> who would help <u+201c>stop crooked hillary from rigging this election.<u+201d> and on oct. 1, he told a crowd in manheim, pa., to <u+201c>watch your polling booths,<u+201d> because he had heard stories about <u+201c>certain areas<u+201d> of pennsylvania, and <u+201c>we can<u+2019>t lose an election because of you know what i<u+2019>m talking about.<u+201d> given his flirtation with racist talk throughout his campaign, mr. trump<u+2019>s exhorting supporters to watch <u+201c>certain areas<u+201d> sounds like an invitation to harass and intimidate minority voters. and his call for volunteer observers, supposedly to prevent voter fraud at the polls (which is virtually nonexistent), fits well into the long and shameful history of suppression of the minority vote by partisan poll watchers. nearly a ll states permit designated poll watchers to observe voting. many allow each political party to appoint a certain number of watchers, and some allow voting-rights groups and other organizations to appoint observers as well. but while poll watchers can be helpful in reporting violations to election officials, partisan groups have used them to intimidate voters. thirty-nine states allow poll watchers to challenge voters<u+2019> eligibility on election day. these actions are often discriminatory and are nearly always disruptive to the voting process. several states have restricted challenges in recent years, and ohio banned them entirely in 2006. challenging voter eligibility is only one type of intimidation. other tactics used by unscrupulous poll watchers include pretending to be law enforcement officers and threatening voters with arrest . several states, including pennsylvania and alabama, allow the open carrying of firearms at some polling places, and visibly armed poll watchers could frighten voters. it is unclear whether volunteers who sign up through mr. trump<u+2019>s website will receive information about becoming official poll watchers or will be encouraged to monitor polling places informally. volunteers trying to serve as unofficial watchers could interfere with voting and might, in some cases, violate the law, as several states prohibit private citizens from loitering in or around polling places or questioning voters about their qualifications. in the past, the justice department sent federal election observers to jurisdictions with histories of voting discrimination, but that practice largely ended after the supreme court in 2013 gutted the section of the voting rights act that addressed voting laws in those jurisdictions. the justice department will send observers to some places this november subject to court order, but the total number will be far smaller than in previous years. two bills before congress would amend the voting rights act to restore the federal government<u+2019>s authority to designate certain jurisdictions for special oversight and allow the justice department to send out more observers. neither is likely to pass in the republican-controlled house. in the meantime, election officials can help protect voters by training poll workers to spot illegal intimidation. and voters who experience problems on election day can call 866-our-vote , a nonpartisan hotline staffed by trained volunteers who can answer questions and notify election officials of violations. follow the new york times opinion section on facebook and twitter (@nytopinion), and sign up for the opinion today newsletter . a version of this editorial appears in print on october 13, 2016, on page a20 of the new york edition with the headline: mr. trump<u+2019>s scary election day gambit. today's paper | subscribe
donald trump<u+2019>s scary election day gambit
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