Election Administration Tabletop Exercise
In 2018, the Wisconsin Elections Commission rolled out the first Election Security Tabletop Exercise, followed this year by version 2.0. Based on the positive feedback we received from the hundreds of county and municipal clerks, local election officials and election officials visiting from other states who participated in one or both of the exercises, Commission staff developed an Election Administration Tabletop Exercise (EA TTX). The EA TTX is a scenario-based training that focuses on the common and not-so-common situations encountered by clerks, chief inspectors, and other election workers at the polling place on Election Day.
The EA TTX is comprised of an introductory PowerPoint presentation to set the stage for the exercise, followed by a simulated and timed Election Day that employs a series of administrative tasks, procedural issues and routine questions that election officials may face. Following the Election Day simulation is a “right answers” discussion that gives all participants of the EA TTX an opportunity to discuss the situations they encountered and how they responded. The full training exercise and discussion take around two hours to complete but the exercise is designed to be adaptable and can accommodate a variety of formats and time slots.
Complete EA TTX training materials, the recording of the Election Day clock and instructions are posted in The Learning Center (TLC). For access to TLC, please contact the Elections Help Desk: @email. Note: The EA TTX does not count toward the security training requirement for the Election Security Subgrant Program. It does count toward clerk and chief inspector required training hours.
New Clerk Checklist
Commission staff has developed a new clerk checklist to guarantee that all clerks are familiar with state training requirements and resources, how to get access to The Learning Center and tips on navigating the WEC website. The checklist is the foundation of the New Clerk Orientation webinar that was held on September 25, 2019 and will be given to clerk organizations to distribute to members and post in their newsletters: https://elections.wi.gov/clerks/education-training/new-clerk-checklist.
Training Agendas
Commission staff, in coordination with the Clerk Training Advisory Committee, identified the development of training agendas cataloging the Election Day duties of election workers as an important training resource for both new clerks just starting to train their election workers and seasoned clerks looking for fresh and up-to-date training materials. Training agendas 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. Agendas include voter registration, voting equipment and poll book management, among other Election Day duties. The agendas are available in Word formats, so they are easily customizable: https://elections.wi.gov/clerks/education-training/election-inspectors.
New Manuals
Commission staff has developed a manual geared specifically to school district clerks and the types of elections they may encounter. The Election Administration Training Manual for School District Clerks includes instructions on ballot access procedures, candidate qualifications, communicating with the county clerks and scheduling the school district canvass. Staff also created A Guide to Understanding Referenda to help county, municipal and school district clerks understand how a referendum gets on the ballot, types of referenda and notice and procedural requirements: https://elections.wi.gov/publications/manuals.
Interactive Video Development
In accordance with plans to provide training resources in a variety of formats, Commission staff has developed a “gamified” version of the Chief Inspector Self-Evaluation, which allows users to interact with the training module. This supplements the paper and video versions. Participants will receive a score and a badge upon completion of the self-evaluation. Interactive training is available in The Learning Center.
Questions
If you have any questions regarding any of these materials, please contact Allison Coakley: @email or (608) 261-2033. Thank you.