November 5th, 2024
In a significant victory for election integrity advocates, the Republican National Committee (RNC) successfully sued the Milwaukee Election Commission on Monday, securing full access for poll watchers on Election Day. The lawsuit was filed after the RNC learned that Milwaukee officials intended to restrict the number of poll watchers at various polling locations, which they argued could limit transparency.
The RNC filed the lawsuit upon discovering the Election Commission’s plan to restrict access, which they argued would hinder fair oversight. According to RNC lawyers, the commission’s Executive Director indicated that poll watcher access might be restricted based on “space, access, number of voters, and other prevailing circumstances.” The RNC argued that this approach was arbitrary and would open the door to potential exploitation.
“At least five polling locations limited observers during in-person early voting, according to the complaint,” reported The Hill. The RNC’s complaint stated that Milwaukee’s chief inspectors at these locations imposed limitations on the number of observers without legal justification, despite having sufficient space for additional poll watchers.
The lawsuit argued that such limitations could allow individuals to falsely claim party affiliation to block legitimate poll watchers from observing the process, a move that would undermine transparency.
RNC Chairman Michael Whatley celebrated the outcome, saying, “Yesterday, we sued the Milwaukee Elections Commission to prevent the city from restricting poll watcher access. As a result of our lawsuit, we just got word that Milwaukee has affirmed that poll watchers will have full access to observe the voting process.”
With the commission’s agreement to grant full access to poll watchers, the RNC’s win represents a reinforcement of oversight measures in Wisconsin, a key battleground state.
