Clerks who are seeking to train chief inspectors and poll workers before the November 8, 2022 General Election have a variety of topical online training resources available to them. We suggest clerks train their election workers using the online training resources detailed in this communication based on the tasks they will be performing at the polls on Election Day.
Training Requirements
- Chief Inspectors: New chief inspectors are required to take the Baseline Chief Inspector training class (Baseline CIT) before their first election to be certified to conduct elections in the current 2022-2023 training term. Currently certified chief inspectors should have taken at least six hours of election training during the 2020-2021 term to recertify for the current term. Chief inspectors are required to be qualified electors of their municipality unless a qualified chief inspector is not available, in which case clerks can seek and appoint a chief inspector from anywhere in their county.
- Poll Workers, Election Registration Officials (EROs) and Special Voting Deputies (SVDs): State law requires the municipal clerk to provide some type of election training for poll workers and EROs each term. State law does not prescribe the length of the training or the curriculum. Poll workers, EROs and SVDs must be qualified electors of their county.
Baseline Chief Inspector Training
The two-hour Baseline CIT class is available online in The Learning Center (TLC). The presentation is composed of six sections of training, followed by a 30-question self-evaluation. This training can be used by clerks in its entirety to train new chief inspectors and by segment to train new or current poll workers. Clerks need to request a username and password for their chief inspectors to access TLC: https://elections.wi.gov/wec-form/request-add-authorized-users-tlc-el-3….
A few suggestions:
- Electors, Part 1: Voter registration application, proof of residence, illegible voter list (22 minutes).
- Electors, Part 2: Issuing ballots, proof of identification, absentee ballot log, provisional voting, assisting electors, curbside voting, accessibility, confidential electors, challenging voters (14 minutes).
- Documentation: Reconciling poll lists, inspectors’ statement, tally sheets, MBOC, breaking a tie, completing forms (7 minutes).
WEC Certified Clerk-Trainers, composed of qualified and trained county and municipal clerks, may also offer in-person training classes in various locations. Please check the online training schedule on the WEC website periodically for new class offerings: https://elections.wi.gov/person-training-schedule. In-person classes are generally three hours in length.
Election Administration Training Webinars
We have scheduled a series of election administration training webinars covering such topics as counting write-in votes, issuing and processing absentee ballots and accessible voting equipment: https://elections.wi.gov/memo/2022-23-ea-webinar-series-memo-new-webina…. Archived webinars are posted in The Learning Center. Webinars can be accessed in TLC with a username and password for the website or the Vimeo link can be copied by the clerk and emailed to their election inspectors. Each webinar is generally one hour in length.
Some relevant webinars for the November election and the topics covered include:
- Special Voting Deputies: Timeframes, qualified care facilities, notices, scheduling visits, ballot security, required forms and mailing ballots.
- UOCAVA for Clerks: Absentee ballot voting processes and deadlines for military and overseas voters.
- Clerks 101: Training requirements and resources, WEC website, The Learning Center, other web applications.
- Accessible Voting Equipment: Requirements in the polling place to ensure independence and privacy for voters, poll workers’ responsibilities, common sense and courtesy.
- Preparations for the November General Election: Clerk communications, issuing ballots, managing the poll book, election day tasks, resources.
Training Videos
Training videos are available for clerks to use to train their election inspectors on such election day duties as opening the polls, voter registration, using the Inspectors’ Statement and poll book management. Training videos are structured to be task-based and modular in function so clerks can assemble a training plan depending on their training needs for a specific type of election and election worker. Training videos are available in The Learning Center under the Election Administration tile.
Accessible Voting Equipment Poll Worker Training
Accessible Voting Equipment Poll Worker Fact Sheets are a resource that can be used in poll worker training or at polling places on Election Day to review poll worker responsibilities concerning accessible voting. This includes tasks poll workers should be able to perform, ADA standards for accessible voting booths, and basic etiquette for interacting with voters with disabilities. There is a separate fact sheet for each type of accessible voting equipment used across the state. Much of the information is the same, but there are some details that are only applicable to certain models of equipment: https://elections.wi.gov/clerks/election-topics-z/polling-place-accessi…
Please contact Allison Coakley if you have any questions: @email or (608) 261-2033.