Both the Republican and Democratic political parties plan to have volunteers watch the polls Election Day, in part due to the anticipated high voter turnout.
"The elections board is predicting that there is going to be a 75 percent turnout, certainly one of the highest turnouts in the last 25 to 30 years," Seth Bofelli, spokesperson for the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, said.
Poll watchers are volunteers that monitor the election process and make sure no procedural rules are broken and no one is denied their right to vote. One such example of this, according to the Wisconsin State Journal, was in 2002 when fliers were passed out at a polling place in Milwaukee citing that voters had until noon the next day to vote, thus impeding the election process by giving erroneous information to potential voters.
Wisconsin allows anyone to operate as a poll-watcher, except for the candidates themselves. Bofelli pointed out that poll watchers work during most elections but are receiving more attention this year because of the tight race.
"One thing we are doing this year that is a little bit different is we are recruiting lawyers and law students to sit in the polling locations and essentially monitor them to see if any questions arise when people are registering," Bofelli said.
Poll watchers also help keep track of who among the registered supporters of each political candidate votes in the election. This can help raise turnout rates, since if one of those people does not vote by a certain point in the day, the party headquarters can give them a reminder to head to the polls.
One concern that has arisen in recent years is the fear of voter fraud, such as when registered felons, who are ineligible to vote, cast a ballot. Chris Lato, spokesperson for the Republican Party of Wisconsin, asserted fraud is a problem.
"There are a lot of flaws in our system and a lot of opportunities for people to take advantage of that illegally," Lato said. "We have been asking for a number of years now for people to need basic ID on Election Day, which would allow election workers to check the identity of people at the polls."
Since this form of regulation has not gone into effect, poll watchers have remained ever-present at polling locations. Lato said the Republican Party has felt a great need to have monitors at polling places to keep an eye on things and to make sure every ballot is cast legally.
The Democratic Party, however, insists that voter fraud is not a major concern.
"The Republicans have been actively trying to create a fear of voter fraud," Bofelli said. "There have been limited cases in elections, but they are contending that there is this long-term history of voter fraud."
Lato disagreed and said he believes poll watchers are doing their part to ensure fair results.
"It's in our part an effort to protect the integrity of the polls," he said.
