Turkey's high-stakes mayoral races are expected to be close. Volunteer monitors will be key

With local elections across Turkey days away, legal experts are coaching thousands of volunteer election monitors on the rules they’ll need to watch for fraud and ensure a fair vote. The vote Sunday will determine who controls offices across Turkey, from major municipalities to tiny districts and villages. With some high-stakes races expected to be tight, and the possibility of tampering a concern, the volunteer monitors could be pivotal. In 2019, President President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s party used claims of irregularities to force a do-over of an election in Istanbul. Now, Erdogan is seeking to win back large cities like Istanbul and the capital Ankara, where his party lost to the opposition.