FOND DU LAC COUNTY (NBC 26) — With just days to go until Election Day the state Democratic Party and the state Republican Party plan to send observers to polling places in our neighborhoods.
- Both the Democratic and Republican parties plan to send poll observers to precincts on Election Day.
- State law outlines several rules for observers.
- Clerks say there has been a lot of interest in this election.
"I definitely think there's more interest in the election as a whole, because this is the biggest election in our history," Ripon City Clerk Naomi Miller said.
Miller said her municipality is fully staffed with election workers for Tuesday, and they’re expecting poll watching.
"We gladly show everything we want to make sure everything is up and up, everybody understands it, very transparent," Miller said.
Miller and other officials say the observers must stay three feet from the poll book, usually in a designated area.
According to state law, observers cannot try to influence voting, use still or video cameras, or wear clothing or buttons related to candidates or parties.
Campbellsport City Clerk Angel Rettler said they also have security protocol in place for Election Day.
"In Fond du Lac County, they've already let us know that there are special officers that are dedicated to election calls or election help," Rettler said. "In addition to that, we do have two full-time officers that will be coming and going throughout the day."
While officers will be on call, not all municipalities will have additional law enforcement in the building.
"There will not be any additional security, because I don't want intimidation," Miller said of her operation in Ripon. "I don't want anything like that to bias our election."
The Wisconsin GOP said it plans to have more than five thousand poll workers statewide.
In a statement, Wisconsin GOP Chair Brian Schimming said, “This marks the third time this year the Republican election integrity operation has been active. Our mission is to ensure an honest and well-run election for every voter in Wisconsin.”
The Wisconsin Democratic Party said they'll have a "record number" of observers at the polls in key locations.
Haley McCoy with the Wisconsin Democratic Party said in a statement that their goal is “ensuring everything is running smoothly and every eligible voter is able to cast their ballot. We are confident that our hardworking election officials will be able to quickly resolve any issues that arise and the process will be fast, easy, and fair.”
Election day is Tuesday, but Wisconsin has already seen a high volume of early voting and mail-in ballots cast.
