by Benjamin Yount
There’s a lawsuit in Green Bay that accuses the city’s election boss of not allowing poll watchers to actually watch people vote.
The Republican National Committee filed the lawsuit Tuesday. It claims that Green Bay Clerk Celestine Jeffreys is partially blocking election observers.
The suit says poll watchers can witness people sign-in, register to vote, and pick-up their ballot. But the suit says poll watchers are not allowed to see voters certify their ballots or return them to be counted.
“Jeffreys has refused to afford the public with the ability to observe all public aspects of the in-person absentee ballot voting process,” the lawsuit claims.
Early voting began in Wisconsin last Tuesday. It will continue until the Sunday before Election Day.
“This is unacceptable: Republicans are going to court to deliver Wisconsinites the ballot box transparency to which they are legally entitled,” RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said in a statement Wednesday.
Green Bay’s election managers haven’t commented on the lawsuit.
The case is one of dozens filed by Republicans in several states that focus on election issues, including what poll watchers can or cannot do.
The Green Bay lawsuit wants a judge to not only order Jeffreys to allow poll watchers to watch the entire process, the RNC is asking that a court order be placed at the entrance of every polling place “alerting electors and observers” about their rights as poll watchers.
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Benjamin Yount is a contributor to The Center Square.
Photo “Ronna McDaniel” by Gage Skidmore. CC BY-SA 2.0. Background Photo “Voting Booths” by Tim Evanson. CC BY-SA 2.0.
