Thomas Gounley

TGOUNLEY@NEWS-LEADER.COM

On Tuesday, for the first time, Greene County plans to station sheriff's deputies at many of its polling places.

In a Thursday interview, Clerk Shane Schoeller — the Republican who is the county's top election official — attributed the move to the current political climate and a desire to quickly respond to any incidents. He said he approached Sheriff Jim Arnott with the idea after the August primary.

"In this setting, with everything that, in terms of just the emotions around the election, some of the things we've seen happen, we thought it would be good to have a presence," Schoeller said. "Not on the outside — we don't want anyone to have any intimidation in terms of entering the polling location — but certainly there at the back, as people are coming in, there to assist and be helpful."

The head of the Greene County Republican party, Danette Proctor, told the News-Leader Thursday that she thinks the plan is "wonderful" and expects voters will "feel more secure."

Skyler Johnston, meanwhile, the executive director of the Greene County Democrats, said the party has "some concerns" but "they're matched by an appreciation as well."

Schoeller told election judges gathered for a Thursday morning training session that about 45 polling places will have a deputy inside on Tuesday. Additional deputies will move between the county's 30 other polling places.

The deputies, Schoeller said, will be trained to help voters use the county's direct recording electronic equipment, a touch-screen system made available for individuals who are handicapped. The system, however, is used infrequently — just 14 times countywide, he said, in a March election that saw about 80,000 voters — leaving lots of time to respond to potential incidents.

Schoeller said he told Arnott in August he was concerned that "we've seen a lot of unprecedented acts of violence this year" and "oftentimes emotions run high at a polling location."

"I don't anticipate any issues," Schoeller told the judges. "I think everything will be fine, but should something occur, we just want to be prepared."

In a follow-up interview with the News-Leader, Schoeller said he didn't have specific acts of violence in mind, but mentioned that "we've seen a lot of political rallies that became heated this year."

He said he didn't want to go into a great deal of detail about which polling places will have deputies. He said the sheriff's office had made those decisions and that the crime rate around the polling place had been one factor considered.

Schoeller said the initiative was expected to cost $13,160, based on the use of 47 deputies.

It remained unclear Thursday just how widespread is the practice of stationing law enforcement within polling places, both within Missouri and around the country. Schoeller said he did not know.

At least one state bans the practice. In Pennsylvania, uniformed or plainclothes police officers must remain 100 feet from a polling place entrance, unless they are personally voting or have been summoned to preserve the peace, or the polling place is in a building that also houses a police station.

Proctor and Johnston both said separately that they were not consulted about the deputies by the clerk's office, but that they had heard about the plan from election judges undergoing training. Election judges are affiliated with a party and work in bipartisan teams.

Johnston, of the Democrats, acknowledged one of Schoeller's concerns.

"I know that there is a potential for disruptive elements this election," he said. "And I am confident they are not going to be coming from our side."

However, Johnston voiced concern that a visible weapon "could be intimidating for some voters" — even in firearms-friendly southwest Missouri — and that "any kind of police presence puts some people on edge."

"It's going to hit each voter differently," he said. "Some people will be reassured."

Missouri law bars average citizens from bringing a firearm into a polling place, Schoeller said, although the deputies would be allowed to do so.

Asked if he thought Democratic voters were more likely to feel intimidated, Johnston said he doesn't "think it can be boiled down to one specific group."

Johnston said he wanted to know whether the deputies will be openly carrying a weapon and if they will be wearing their traditional uniform. His preference, he said, would be that the answer to both questions is no. Schoeller later told the News-Leader the answer to both questions is yes.

Schoeller stressed in his remarks that the deputies will be inside the polling place, away from the election judges. He said there is "no doubt" the practice would amount to voter intimidation if the deputies were stationed outside. They'll only go outside, he said, if they need to respond to an incident.

Johnston said he doesn't see a big difference between deputies being inside or outside.

"I think the voter is going to see them either way," Johnston said.

Procto said she is fully in favor of the county's plan. She noted that the Republicans are hiring at least three off-duty deputies to be stationed at their election results watch party on Tuesday night — and that it isn't the first time that's been done.

"It's a very uncertain time, and I do think it's important we have security," Proctor said.