2013 WISCONSIN ACT
177
An Act
to amend
7.41 (1), 7.41 (2) and 7.41 (3) (intro.) and (a) of the statutes;
relating to:
certification of election observers.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:
Section
1
.
7.41 (1) of the statutes is amended to read:
7.41
(1)
Any member of the public may be present at any polling place, in the office of any municipal clerk whose office is located in a public building on any day that absentee ballots may be cast in that office, or at an alternate site under s. 6.855 on any day that absentee ballots may be cast at that site for the purpose of observation of an election and the absentee ballot voting process, except a candidate whose name appears on the ballot at the polling place or on an absentee ballot to be cast at the clerk's office or alternate site at that election. The chief inspector or municipal clerk may reasonably limit the number of persons representing the same organization who are permitted to observe under this subsection at the same time.
Each person permitted to observe under this subsection shall print his or her name in and sign and date a log maintained by the chief inspector or municipal clerk for that polling place, office, or alternate site.
Section
2
.
7.41 (2) of the statutes is amended to read:
7.41
(2)
The chief inspector or municipal clerk may restrict the location of any individual exercising the right under sub. (1) to certain areas within a polling place, the clerk's office, or alternate site under s. 6.855. The chief inspector or municipal clerk shall clearly designate
such an area as an
observation
area. Designated observation
areas
for election observers under sub. (1). The observation areas shall be not less than 3 feet from nor more than 8 feet from the table at which electors announce their name and address to be issued a voter number at the polling place, office, or alternate site and not less than 3 feet from nor more than 8 feet from the table at which a person may register to vote at the polling place, office, or alternate site. The observation areas
shall be so positioned to permit any
authorized individual
election observer
to readily observe all public aspects of the voting process.
Section
3
.
7.41 (3) (intro.) and (a) of the statutes are amended to read:
7.41
(3)
(intro.) The chief inspector or municipal clerk may order the removal of any individual exercising the right under sub. (1) if that individual commits an overt act which
does any of the following
:
(a) Disrupts the operation of the polling place, clerk's office, or alternate site under s. 6.855
; or
.
