Wisconsin Elections Commission
Advisory Committee Meeting
March 8, 2023
9:00 A.M.
This meeting is being held via video teleconference only. Members of the public and media may attend online or by telephone. All public participants’ phones/microphones will be muted during the meeting. Members of the public or media wishing to provide written comment to the Commissioners should email @email with “Message to Commissioners” in the subject line. These comments will be provided to the Commissioners ahead of the April 28, 2023, Commission meeting.
Under Wis. Stat. § 227.13, the Wisconsin Elections Commission formed this Advisory Committee concerning scope statement 089-22 on the Conduct, Regulation, and Accommodation of Election Observers (available here: https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/code/scope_statements/all/089_22) and, as the name demonstrates, it is for advisory purposes only, meaning that it cannot take any official actions other than providing information and insight to the Commissioners. Detailed minutes will be taken of this meeting and provided in full to each Commissioner, along with a summary and presentation from Commission staff.
This first meeting of the Advisory Committee is not intended to address the specific language of the future rule, but rather to address the specific topics that the rule will or may cover. Each member of this Committee has a valuable perspective on the topic of observing elections, and this meeting will provide an opportunity to present that perspective to the Commissioners before they make decisions regarding the language of the future rule.
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- Call to Order
- Staff Report of Meeting Notice
- Staff Introduction
- Committee Member Introduction
- Clarification of Terms Within Wis. Stat. § 7.41
- “The observation areas shall be not less than 3 feet from nor more than 8 feet from the table at which electors announce their name and address to be issued a voter number at the polling place, office, or alternate site and not less than 3 feet from nor more than 8 feet from the table at which a person may register to vote at the polling place, office, or alternate site.”
- What time of day does § 7.41 apply?
- “The observation areas shall be so positioned to permit any election observer to readily observe all public aspects of the voting process.”
- “Disrupts the operation”
- Technology Use
- What may be viewed, and when
- Appropriate Conversations
- Electioneering
- Interactions With Voters
- Warnings
- “Member of the public”; “cast”; “except a candidate whose name appears on the ballot”; “reasonably limit the number of persons representing the same organization”; “clearly designate.”
- Accommodations for Observers
- Physical Accommodations
- Communications From Chief Inspectors and Election Inspectors
- Challenges against Voters
- Other Locations
- Board of Absentee Ballot Canvassers Location
- Municipal Clerk’s office or Alternate Site
- Residential Care Facilities and Retirement Homes
- Recounts
- Open Discussion of Additional Election Observer Topics
- Adjourn
Notice of Possible Quorum
Wisconsin Elections Commission
Advisory Committee Meeting
March 8, 2023
9:00 A.M.
A quorum of the members of the Wisconsin Elections Commission may be present at the agency’s Advisory Committee meeting relating to a scope statement concerning the conduct, regulation, and accommodation of election observers. The notice for the Advisory Committee meeting and how to view the meeting can be found here: https://elections.wi.gov/event/advisory-committee-meeting-concerning-election-observers-382023.
Notice is hereby given that the above gathering may constitute a meeting of the Wisconsin Elections Commission. However, this Committee was established for advisory purposes only and no action will be taken by the Wisconsin Elections Commission at this meeting.