Fact check: Johnson mostly correct that poll workers register through political parties
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With the 2024 presidential contest less than one year away, parties are beginning to mobilize voters and clerks are starting their election preparations.
That includes determining who will staff the polls on election days to help register voters, check photo IDs and explain how to mark ballots.
In a Nov. 10, 2023 video posted to X (formerly Twitter) by the Wisconsin Republican Party, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson said people concerned about election integrity can “go home and mope” or get involved to help elect Republicans.
(Other PolitiFact Wisconsin items have debunked false claims of massive voter fraud and disproved persistent misconceptions about how the 2020 presidential election was administered in the state.)
Johnson suggested that Republicans who want to “restore confidence in our elections systems” can get trained and paid as poll workers and said: “In order to be a poll worker on the conservative side, you have to register through the Republican Party of Wisconsin.”
His claim caught our attention, especially after local clerks were the ones trying to enlist poll workers amid severe shortages during the Covid-19 pandemic.
If you want to become a poll worker, do you have to register through a political party?
Let’s take a look.
Poll worker positions are first filled through political party lists
When asked for backup for the claim, Republican Party of Wisconsin communications director Matt Fisher shared a section of state law and memos prepared by the Wisconsin Elections Commission.
Fisher cited Wis. Stat. 7.30, which says that the two dominant political parties (Democrats and Republicans) are responsible for submitting lists of nominees to become election inspectors, another term for poll workers.
Under state law, “all inspectors shall be affiliated” with one of the two parties, unless they are appointed as a greeter or if the party list runs out of names.
In that case, the mayor, village president or town board chairperson can appoint a poll worker “without regard to party affiliation.”
Translation: the names prepared by political parties get first priority for the positions, but it’s still possible to become a poll worker without going through a party.
According to WEC’s page on becoming a poll worker, voters who are active in a political party can reach out to their county party to be nominated for a two-year term. This year, the parties had to submit their lists by Nov. 30.
Or, voters can contact their local clerk to learn about the application process and become nominated on a nonpartisan basis.
But it’s becoming less common for poll workers to be assigned through that unaffiliated option, as parties have been preparing longer lists of potential names, a Nov. 2, 2022 Wisconsin Watch article found.
Fisher also referenced WEC memos that explain the state law and lay out scenarios to ensure that each polling location has the correct balance of partisan appointees.
Our ruling
Johnson said in the Republican Party video that "in order to be a poll worker on the conservative side, you have to register through the Republican Party of Wisconsin."
While it’s possible for someone — even if they have conservative or liberal beliefs — to become a nonpartisan poll worker by going through their clerk, it’s less likely they’ll get a spot..
Johnson was referring to someone who wants to become a poll worker on the “conservative side,” indicating they are involved in Republican politics and want to register that way. But it’s important to note that the same is true of the Democratic side. It’s the way the system is built.
Our definition of Mostly True is “The statement is accurate but needs clarification or additional information.” That fits here.
Sources
Wisconsin GOP, X, Nov. 10, 2023
Email exchange, Matt Fisher, Wisconsin GOPCommunications Director for the Republican Party of Wisconsin, Nov. 13, 2023
Wisconsin Elections Commission, Poll Worker Selection
Wisconsin Watch, Wisconsin clerks face challenges as voter skepticism becomes new reality, Oct. 26, 2022
Wisconsin Elections Commission, Appointment of Election Inspectors from Lists Submitted by Political Parties, Oct. 3, 2023
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Johnson claim that poll workers register through parties is mostly true
