Is this person going to be working at the polling station when there is a presidential vote?
Maybe you could call the election office and just generally explain the events without a name and ask if this was appropriate. The staff working the stations should have been briefed, according to the election laws, and he should have known better.
Call your elections office or state elections office and ask in general. See how you feel after discussing this with an official.
You do what you think is right. Was there another election staff member present when he was talking? How did they react?
Just a thought. I know what I'd do but it's a personal decision to make that you have to live with afterwards.

Having worked on several elections here in Canada,that would be a huge NO..NO around here.
I would have felt very uncomfortable also.

Oh, that's bad. I felt uncomfortable Sunday, when dinner-table conversation at a friend's house turned to politics again and again, with the hostess taking the position that she was 100% right and anyone who disagreed with her was 100% wrong . . . or delusional. I really dislike political discussions where diverging opinions are not tolerated.

Call your election board and aprise them of the situation. Let them know you were uncomfortable, and that even if you were voting for "his choice" you would feel the same. That's totally inappropriate. You mention that you aren't sure he's "all there". I do believe that in a situation and venue such as this, it's imperative that the people selected to do the job are "all there".
Nora (who is not politically correct in many cases LOL)

I'd have pointed my finger at him and told him to shut his mouth (probably at not too low volume)

- that he was breaking the law!

ole joyful

I think that likely I'd have complained to the person(s) in charge of the polling station, as well.

Your husband was uncomfortable about what he was doing, as well.

ole joyful

Oh that would have made me very uncomfortable too. Very unprofessional of that man. Have you decided what to do? I think I would call the election board and not mention names.

~Betsy

Since he's a friend and neighbor, I would call or visit him, DH in tow as a witness, and inform him of the fact that what he did was wrong and that he could be reported for behaviour like that. And that you expect to NEVER be harassed like that again by him or any other poll worker. Period. That this was the only warning you'd give him. That next time you would be very vocal about it. And that you are only warning him this way because you're friends, that other people may have already reported him.

If he did this to others, he may already be reported. And if you were to call officials and not mention names, I fail to see how anything could corrected unless they come down on every volunteer there, and that wouldn't be fair.

I would like to think I would have said, loudly, "What? You're not supposed to tell me who to vote for!!" so that everyone could hear you. But I probably wouldn't have.

I worked the polls many years in Indiana and I'd love to do it here, too. Very exciting, especially presidential election years like this year.

I don't know if all states are the same, but I'd call as Nora suggested. You wouldn't have to give your name if you were just asking a question. If you find out for sure it's illegal, then I'd do as Flamey suggested and talk to him.

I think he has a lot of nerve and shouldn't be working the polls!!!

Well, the fact is, other than the "big John, big John" that he muttered in my ear when I was entering the booth, the rest of his dissertation on the candidates was held right in front of all the poll workers for 2 districts, in a small room--they had to have heard it, he wasn't being quiet. If any of THEM, who where there to see that the voting proceded properly, had a problem with it, I'm sure they could/did report the situation. My discomfort was more because I was concerned for him embarrassing himself or worse. I was uncomfortable because I didn't WANT him getting himself in trouble, and I didn't want anyone (we know most of the workers there) thinking WE'D been the ones to initiate an inappropriate discussion.

Normally, I don't mind political discussions--when 2 or more neighbors get chatting in our neighborhood, 90% of the time, politics come up. That's fine. Not all of our neighborhood agrees politically, but all are respectful of others' opinions.

As to what I'll do, I'm not going to be the one to get this fellow into trouble. He's a senior citizen, takes care of his mother 24/7, and has very little in his life other than his interest in politics. He's a very nice guy, very generous, very active in our neighborhood events. I don't mind his interest, nor listening to him--I just don't want him to do something that could drop trouble on his head in the future.

He may not know that this is illegal. Could you drop him an email? That seems easiest and least embarrassing to me.

I would be very uncomfortable, no matter who the person was. As the saying goes ~

Ignorantia juris non excusat or Ignorantia legis neminem excusat (Latin for "ignorance of the law does not excuse" or "ignorance of the law excuses no one")

I imagine that because he is friends with you he felt he could jokingly convince you into voting for his guy. Of course if he is saying this to everyone, that would be way over the top. Who's to know. I think for now you are doing what feels right. I agree about talking to him first too. At least he will know first hand that he was in the wrong and will learn from it. Hopefully.