and it is unlawful (in Virginia, at least) for anyone to engage in intmidation and/or harassment.

but try not to aggravate a situation by being unduly hostile, please. Let him/her know you want nothing to do with them politely (and tell them you'll report them to OFFICIAL poll watchers if they violate the rules.)

the republicans are stretching the role of poll watcher way beyond the bounds of the traditional part they play. As a Democratic poll watcher I was instructed in no uncertain terms that my only roll was to observe the voting, and record the names of voters as they were spoken in the polling place. (These lists were used by both parties to make calls throughout the day to voters who had not yet voted.)

There was to be absolutely NO interaction between the poll watchers of either party and any of the voters within the polling place. If we had tried to approach voters or influence them in any way, or even make casual conversation, we would have been sent out of the polling place and not permitted to return.

I don't know where they're getting this view of the poll watcher as a sort of antagonistic vigilante whose role is to challenge the rights of people to vote.