Milwaukee voters go to the polls on Election Day 2022 | Photo by Isiah Holmes
The Republican National Committee has filed a lawsuit against the city of Racine, claiming the city didn’t hire enough Republican poll workers for the August primary election.
The lawsuit comes as skirmishes between the two major parties over voting ramp up with less than 50 days before Election Day. Filed on Friday, the suit states that the city didn’t allow 47 poll workers nominated by the Republican party and approved by the Racine Common Council to work the polls in August. The party nominated 55 people to serve as election workers in that election.
“Despite being qualified, nominated, and appointed, the Plaintiffs were neither contacted by the City Clerk nor scheduled by the City Clerk to work as election inspectors for the August 13th Partisan Primary,” the lawsuit states.
Republicans have promised a massive effort to watch the polls this fall after baseless claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen spread through the party’s leadership and voting base. Earlier this year, the party launched an effort to get 100,000 lawyers and volunteers watching elections to ensure “transparency and fairness.”
After the election, the RNC filed an open records request with the city, learning that in the August election, the city used eight Republicans, seven Democrats and 90 people with no political affiliation to work the polls.
The lawsuit names two people the party had nominated to work the polls but weren’t contacted by the city ahead of the election. It claims the Wisconsin Elections Commission has “repeatedly instructed municipal clerks that election inspectors nominated by the Democratic and Republican Parties must be given priority before any unaffiliated individuals are selected or scheduled to work polling locations as election inspectors.”
In a statement, Racine City Clerk Tara McMenamin said the city is “committed to hiring election officials who meet all statutory requirements, irrespective of political affiliation.”
“In anticipation of potential increases in meritless litigation leading up to the presidential election, we are steadfast in maintaining consistent standards,” the statement said. “We will continue to adhere to all state and federal laws and provide comprehensive training to ensure that all election officials are fully qualified and well prepared to serve City residents on this upcoming Election Day.”
The lawsuit asks that the two nominated poll workers who weren’t asked to work in August be included in November.
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