Concerns over a rigged election: Officials say measures are in place to prevent fraud

PHOENIX (KSAZ) - With so many people having their doubts about polling and if it's rigged or not, a lot is being done to make sure your vote is protected.

We stand ready to ensure that every voter can cast his or her ballot free of unlawful intimidation, discrimination, or obstruction," said Attorney General Loretta Lynch.

Lynch is trying to calm the nerves of voters about voter fraud and says the State Department will deploy hundreds of monitors to watch over polling places across the country to catch potential fraud.

"These trained department personnel deploy to roughly half of the 50 states will watch to see that the elections are conducted fairly and in accordance with federal law," explained Lynch.

Many of these poll watchers will be right here in Maricopa County. According to the Arizona Republican Party, there have been 10 times more people signing up to be a watcher than in years before. So far, there's been about 1,000 people.

"There's a big demand because I think there's a high alert because of some of the Rhetoric going on to make sure that we're just being diligent at the polls," said Chris Herring, President of Maricopa County Young Republicans.

Herring says these volunteers are trained to look out for anything out of the ordinary. They're also taught election law by a group of lawyers.

"They go in. They let the people know they're a poll watcher. They look for the normal things. They look for the laws that are in place are being followed. If you're there for the entire day, are you seeing the same person come back in multiple times? That would be an obvious one you're looking for," explained Herring.

Other things they're looking for are people who might be harassing voters. They also make sure the electioneering zone is protected.

Poll watchers can be from any party.