MADISON � Hundreds of partisan observers will watch polling places in Wisconsin on Tuesday, but new rules should prevent them from causing as many disruptions as they did in 2004.

Both presidential campaigns and outside groups said they will send lawyers and volunteers to polling places, particularly those in Madison and Milwaukee where the most problems could arise. They will make sure poll workers are following election laws, running the polls smoothly and allowing legal voters to cast ballots.
The partisan observers played a similar role in 2004, but many poll workers and voters reported problems with them. In some cases, they questioned and harassed voters and bullied the election workers who were supposed to be in charge. Voters often couldn’t tell who were poll workers and who were mere observers.

The Government Accountability Board, which oversees elections in Wisconsin, passed a new slate of rules in late August designed to minimize such interference.

Among other things, they will require observers to sign-in with the chief election inspector, disclose their affiliation, wear nametags stating they are observers and allow a six-feet buffer between themselves and the workers checking in voters. They are barred from interacting with voters.

Both political parties say they are happy with the rules, which should reduce problems.

“The number one complaint by voters and poll workers was observers hovering right over the workers, staring down voters and getting too involved in the process instead of watching,” said Matthew O’Neill, a Democratic Party lawyer who helped draft the rules. “That slowed down the process and it’s not going to happen this year.”

O’Neill successfully lobbied the board to add a provision barring observers from wearing clothing that appears to say they have governmental authority. The provision was in response to GOP poll workers from 2004 who wore orange T-shirts that read “HAVA Volunteer” on the front, a reference to the Help America Vote Act.

Jon Waclawski, who oversees the Republican Party of Wisconsin’s poll watcher program, said the rules should eliminate inappropriate discussions between observers and voters waiting in line.

“In 2004, there was a lot of interaction between voters and poll watchers. That raises eyebrows. What exactly are those people doing? Why are they talking to voters?” he said. “And there were instances of observers trying to take over the process in terms of usurping the power of poll workers themselves. We don’t want to see any of that.”

Waclawski drew criticism from Barack Obama’s presidential campaign when a September e-mail surfaced in which he was looking for police, firefighters and veterans to work as poll watchers at inner-city Milwaukee polling places.

Obama and the Democrats claimed the e-mail showed Republicans were planning to try to intimidate voters and to disrupt the voting process. Republicans said they were just looking for volunteers who could work in challenging polling locations.

Waclawski said the GOP’s poll observers will be looking for suspicious activity and making sure workers are requiring voters to provide appropriate documentation to register. Observers who have reason to believe a potential voter is not a U.S. citizen or a local resident will file challenges with election inspectors, he said.

“Challenges will not happen very often but our poll watchers are aware that such challenges can be issued,” he said.

Dan Kanninen, Obama’s Wisconsin state director, said the campaign would enlist volunteers as observers “to ensure that every eligible voter in Wisconsin who wants to vote can exercise that right.”

In Dane County, Democrats said their observers will be given lists of supporters to check off as they arrive. Those who don’t show up by midday will be called by volunteers. Waclawski said Republicans did something similar in past elections but won’t on Tuesday because “it’s proved to be inefficient.”

Joining the partisan observers will be lawyers and law students organized by The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, a nonpartisan group. Representatives said about 50 would monitor sites in Madison, 150 would be in Milwaukee and others would be stationed in Racine, Green Bay and Beloit.

“We’re not sending in attorneys to tell anyone how to do their job. The state does a phenomenal job training poll workers,” said Lissa Koop, a lawyer organizing the effort in Madison. “But the lines have been insane, often there is confusion and people are at the wrong location. For those reasons, it’s good to have attorneys on the ground to assist.”

Republican Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen is also sending about 50 agents and prosecutors to observe polling places, drawing criticism from Democrats who say it’s an attempt to discourage voters. Van Hollen said they would follow the rules for observers and assist local law enforcement officials as needed.

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