Wis. Stat. § 7.41 — WI Code / Chapter 7 / Section 7.41
Public’s right to access.
Status: in_force

(1) Any member of the public may be present at any polling place, in the office of any municipal clerk whose office is located in a public building on any day that absentee ballots may be cast in that office, or at an alternate site under s. 6.855 on any day that absentee ballots may be cast at that site for the purpose of observation of an election and the absentee ballot voting process, except a candidate whose name appears on the ballot at the polling place or on an absentee ballot to be cast at the clerk’s office or alternate site at that election. The chief inspector or municipal clerk may reasonably limit the number of persons representing the same organization who are permitted to observe under this subsection at the same time. Each person permitted to observe under this subsection shall print his or her name in and sign and date a log maintained by the chief inspector or municipal clerk for that polling place, office, or alternate site.

(2) The chief inspector or municipal clerk may restrict the location of any individual exercising the right under sub. (1) to certain areas within a polling place, the clerk’s office, or alternate site under s. 6.855 . The chief inspector or municipal clerk shall clearly designate observation areas for election observers under sub. (1) . The observation areas shall be not less than 3 feet from nor more than 8 feet from the table at which electors announce their name and address to be issued a voter number at the polling place, office, or alternate site and not less than 3 feet from nor more than 8 feet from the table at which a person may register to vote at the polling place, office, or alternate site. The observation areas shall be so positioned to permit any election observer to readily observe all public aspects of the voting process.

(3) The chief inspector or municipal clerk may order the removal of any individual exercising the right under sub. (1) if that individual commits an overt act which does any of the following:

(a) Disrupts the operation of the polling place, clerk’s office, or alternate site under s. 6.855 .

(b) Violates s. 12.03 (2) or 12.035 .

(4) No individual exercising the right under sub. (1) may view the confidential portion of a registration list maintained under s. 6.36 (4) or a poll list maintained under s. 6.79 (6) . However, the inspectors or municipal clerk shall disclose to such an individual, upon request, the existence of such a list, the number of electors whose names appear on the list, and the number of those electors who have voted at any point in the proceedings. No such individual may view the certificate of an absent elector who obtains a confidential listing under s. 6.47 (2) .

(5) The commission shall promulgate rules that are consistent with the requirements of sub. (2) regarding the proper conduct of individuals exercising the right under sub. (1) , including the interaction of those individuals with inspectors and other election officials.

History: 1989 a. 192 ; 1999 a. 49 ; 1999 a. 150 s. 672 ; 1999 a. 182 ; 2001 a. 39 , 109 ; 2005 a. 451 ; 2013 a. 177 ; 2015 a. 118 .