Watching, yes. Interfering, no.

President Donald Trump’s repeated calls to his supporters to monitor election polling places for fraud have raised questions about what is allowed, and what isn’t, as San Diego County residents begin casting their ballots for the Nov. 3 election.

Observers, as they are known in California, have long been part of elections here. Usually they are campaign insiders or political-party volunteers, and they rarely draw public attention as they quietly watch what goes on in polling places or at the Registrar of Voters, where ballots are processed and tabulated.