Like soldiers on the brink of battle, thousands of Democratic and Republican volunteers will be deployed as poll watchers on Election Day for a potential tug of war over the Florida presidential race.

Top officials for the presidential campaigns of Barack Obama and John McCain say their poll watchers will be largely observing to see whether anything irregular occurs.

But given the growing nastiness of the presidential campaign, especially in the swing state of Florida, anything is possible Election Day.

''While we look forward to a well-run election in which opposing campaigns conduct themselves appropriately, the enduring lessons of 2000 have taught us to be prepared for any possibility,'' said attorney Kendall Coffey, leader of the Obama campaign's legal team in Miami-Dade and a veteran of the past two presidential elections.

Tallahassee attorney Hayden Dempsey, lead counsel for McCain's legal team in Florida, said the Republicans will be at the polls for the same reasons as the Democrats.

''It's our goal that every eligible voter who wants to vote is given the opportunity to do so,'' he said.

Both parties said they have no plans to challenge a single voter's right to vote.

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