New Bill in the State Legislature Would Punish Those that Attack Election Workers More Severely

Thursday, June 22nd, 2023 -- 8:02 AM

(By Anya van Wagtendonk, Wisconsin Public Radio) Election workers' identifying information would be less available to the public and attacks on those workers would be punished more severely under a proposal circulating through the state Capitol.

According to Anya van Wagtendonk with Wisconsin Public Radio, the bill's authors describe it as an attempt to protect civil servants from harassment, doxxing and attacks. The bipartisan bill would exempt many records with identifying information about poll workers from being accessed publicly, and also make it a felony to physically harm an election official or worker.

The bill would also extend whistleblower protection to election workers who report concerns about impropriety in elections. Election workers who report what they "reasonably believed to be election fraud or irregularities" would be protected from employment consequences, such as discipline, demotion or termination.

Members of the Assembly Committee on Campaigns and Elections debated and took public testimony about the bill on Tuesday. The proposal comes in the wake of the 2020 election, when unproven accusations of election fraud were leveled against election workers across the country, but especially in competitive swing states like Wisconsin.

Workers have reported harassment, including death threats, and the Department of Justice has investigated hundreds of threats. According to a recent survey by the Brennan Center for Justice, almost a third of election workers say they have experienced threats or harassment because of their job, and turnover rates are significant going into the 2024 election.

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