Wisconsin will likely see an influx of election observers at the polls this fall as the eyes of the nation will be on the battleground state in November.
The Republican National Committee announced plans earlier this year to recruit 100,000 poll watchers and election observers across the nation, including 5,000 in Wisconsin. The Democratic Party of Wisconsin will have a “record number” of election observers throughout the state, according to a statement. Meanwhile, groups like the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin will also have poll watchers present at the polls.
The rise in poll watchers and election observers comes in the wake of the 2020 presidential contest, as former President Donald Trump has repeated false claims about the integrity of elections.
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Trump lost Wisconsin to President Joe Biden by around 21,000 votes in 2020. Recounts and court rulings confirmed that result.
Election observers sign up to watch and observe the voting process. State law outlines what they can and can’t do. It also gives a chief inspector of the polling place the ability to remove them if they’re being disruptive.
During a Sept. 17 press conference where state conservative leaders urged the passing of the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, Fond du Lac County District Attorney Eric Toney voiced support for more election observers. He said he believes “presence breeds compliance.”
“When you see a police car, you slow down on the highway because you don’t want to get a speeding ticket,” Toney said.
“That same concept applies to our elections. With those poll watchers, that presence will breed compliance, and I hope that it will give Wisconsinites greater confidence in our elections, because they know that people are paying attention and that we can be confident in the results,” he added.
In Milwaukee County alone, Toney said he believes there will be 600 election observers with the Republican Party.
The Democratic Party of Wisconsin is also hoping to have poll watchers at sites throughout the state.
“We will have a record number of poll observers in key localities across the state ensuring every vote is counted,” Joe Oslund, the communications director for the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, wrote in a statement.
Before the Republican National Convention in July, Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley spoke about the effort at the Wisconsin Young Republicans headquarters in Waukesha.
“We need lawyers, and we need observers in every room where votes are being cast and votes are being counted,” Whatley said.
Republicans have been holding training sessions for poll watchers in Wisconsin in recent months, according to a WISN12 report. A spokesperson for the Republican Party of Wisconsin didn’t respond to an interview request for this story.
Elena Hilby, the clerk for the city of Sun Prairie and the president of the Wisconsin Municipal Clerks Association, said she welcomes election observers at the polls.
“I welcome election observers, and I try to tell my election officials, my chief inspectors, to welcome them as well,” Hilby said, “because they serve a very important purpose, and that is to ensure that the election is being run in a secure, transparent, fair way, that we’re abiding by the laws and we have nothing to hide.”
Eileen Newcomer, the voter education manager for the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin, said they have 250 volunteers signed up to be election observers. She said that number will likely grow in the days before the election.
Newcomer said their election observer program started in 2010 to “monitor the voter experience and make sure that laws are being applied evenly.”
“We want to make sure that all eligible voters are able to successfully cast their ballots,” Newcomer said. “We want to make sure that officials are following the rules and treating all voters the same and we also want to provide support to voters if they’re turned away.”
Newcomer said the goal is to increase transparency and leave people feeling more confident about how elections are run.
What observers can and can’t do
Anyone, other than a candidate in an election, can sign up to be an election observer, according to the Wisconsin Elections Commission.
They can be present during in-person absentee voting, at a polling location on the day of an election, at a central counting location, at a recount or at a “facility served by special voting deputies.”
When an election observer arrives, they have to check in with the chief inspector or municipal clerk and sign a log with their name and address. They also have to indicate if they’re with a candidate or an organization and present a photo ID. They’re then given a badge that identifies them as an election observer.
They’re also told where to stand. State law says election observers cannot be “less than 3 feet from nor more than 8 feet” from the voter check-in table or registration table. The WEC election observer website said that area should permit poll watchers to “hear instructions and to readily observe all public aspects of the process without disrupting the activities.”
Hilby said if a polling place is larger, there might be multiple areas for observers to stand. But if it’s a smaller polling place, there might be fewer spots. She also if there are people from multiple political parties and space is limited, clerks should try to have “party balance.”
“We don’t really get into choosing who gets to come in,” she said. “We are hoping that, say 10 observers show up, and we can only fit eight, that they’ll work it out among themselves.”
The chief inspector or municipal clerk can remove a poll watcher if they’re being disruptive, aren’t following the rules or aren’t staying within their designated area.
It’s also possible that a polling place might be so small, that they can’t “physically feasibly fit” an election observer, Hilby said.
“We’re only going to allow what can reasonably fit into a room and not infringe on voting,” Hilby said.
‘Emotions can run high’
Newcomer said they’ve been hosting training sessions for their election observers.
“With more access, you have more responsibilities,” she said.
Hilby said most election observers don’t come in to cause a conflict, but she said she is worried about possible conflicts on Election Day this year because of all the extra eyes on the polls.
“We’re concerned about it, we’ve been training for it,” Hilby said.
In July, two election observers were removed from polling locations in Glendale for being disruptive.
In Sun Prairie, Hilby said they’re working with police for possible emergency management plans on Election Day.
“Emotions can run high, and so we (clerks) are all preparing for it,” Hilby said.
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