The Center for Election Confidence (CEC) submitted public comment to the Wisconsin Election Commission (WEC) emphasizing the critical role of election observers in safeguarding election integrity and public trust. CEC urged WEC to ensure that any re-adoption of the expired election observer rule explicitly incorporates Wisconsin’s statutory requirements for observation distances under Wis. Stat. § 7.41(2).

CEC stressed that Wisconsin law mandates observation areas be placed “not less than 3 feet from nor more than 8 feet from the table at which electors announce their name and address” and the same distance from voter registration tables. These requirements ensure that “any election observer [may] readily observe all public aspects of the voting process.” Failure to reference these statutory requirements in a re-adopted rule, CEC warned, could cause “a misunderstanding of the applicability and enforceability of Wis. Stat. § 7.41(2), resulting in the placement of election observation areas outside of the specific minimum and maximum distance requirements.”

CEC concluded by urging WEC to avoid ambiguity and reaffirm the public’s right of meaningful observation. By explicitly adopting these statutory distance requirements into any new rule, WEC would ensure clarity for both election observers and officials and strengthen public confidence in Wisconsin’s election process.