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The Republican National Committee announced Monday that it filed a lawsuit against the Milwaukee Election Commission over a city plan to cap the number of poll watchers allowed on Election Day in certain precincts.
The RNC stated that the plan, announced over the weekend, could limit poll observers to just one Democrat and one Republican in certain precincts, which the lawsuit claims violates state law.
"Defendant Milwaukee Elections Commission has been arbitrarily limiting and prohibiting members of the public from observing all aspects of the voting process at polling locations in the City of Milwaukee," the complaint states, accusing the commission of violating Wis. Stat. § 7.41, which says that "observation areas shall be so positioned" in polling sites "to permit any election observer to readily observe all aspects of the voting process."
"Wisconsin voters deserve to know that there are poll watchers from both parties in the room as votes are being cast and counted on Election Day," RNC Chairman Michael Whatley and Co-Chair Lara Trump said in a joint statement. "The RNC has not recruited and trained thousands of volunteers in the Badger State simply to back down from misguided officials who want to prevent a full measure of poll-watching transparency. This lawsuit will compel officials in Milwaukee to ensure robust poll watcher access for the Republican Party."
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The RNC noted in a press release that Milwaukee has yet to state which precincts will face limits on poll watchers, but the complaint points to certain specific sites where "the number of observers allowed was arbitrarily limited during in-person early voting[.]" One location, the complaint notes, was Serb Hall, a venue that they claim is "designed to serve up to 2,000 patrons at one time," but only had two poll watchers permitted.
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"Interest in this election is at unprecedented levels in American history, as that has generated corresponding interest in observing the voting process in the City of Milwaukee," the lawsuit states, noting that the restrictions do not just affect them and their opponents, but outside groups, which they say would be barred from watching.
"[S]everal large nonprofit organizations interested in suffrage issues such as the ACLU and the League of Women Voters have all expressed interest in observing election processes in Milwaukee," the complaint continues, further asserting that according to social media, there are "unprecedented levels of excitement and interest in observing the voting process in the City of Milwaukee by independent groups and individual citizens."
The commission, however, took issue with the lawsuit and its allegations, denying that they are "arbitrarily" limiting poll watchers.
"The City of Milwaukee favors the greatest possible transparency during elections. That includes accommodating all observers at election locations," the commission said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
"The Milwaukee Election Commission (MEC) refutes the claims made by the RNC," the statement continued. "Despite the MEC maintaining open communications with the RNC, including meeting as recently as last night, it seems that filing a lawsuit was their goal all along. The MEC denies the allegation that observers will be arbitrarily limited. However, observers may be subject to reasonable limitations, a power given to chief inspectors under Wisconsin law. At no point was the Republican Party denied the presence of an observer during the in-person absentee voting period, nor will they be denied that presence on Election Day."
The lawsuit seeks a restraining order and an injunction against the commission that keeps them from "precluding or restricting observers representing the Plaintiff and other members of the public" from poll watching, and a declaration that the commission violated state law.
