This post originally appeared at https://wisconsindailystar.com/news/rnc-sues-wisconsin-city-for-not-hiring-enough-gop-election-inspectors/tcsquare/2024/09/20/

by Thérèse Boudreaux

The Republican National Committee has sued the city of Racine for failing to hire more Republican citizens as election inspectors during the partisan primaries and instead mostly selected volunteers unaffiliated with either of the two major political parties.

RNC Chairman Michael Whatley called the lawsuit a response to “Democrat interference” in a Tuesday press release. The release incorrectly claims the city of Racine “hir[ed] disproportionately more Democrats in the primary election” than Republicans.

While the city only hired eight out of the 55 Republicans in August, it hired even fewer Democrats – a total of seven. The other 90 election inspectors hired were unaffiliated with any party, the actual violation of state law that the RNC is suing over.

According to Wisconsin election law, cities must appoint election inspectors from the lists of nominees submitted by the two major political parties. So long as nominees from either the Republican or Democratic political parties are available, the city clerk must choose from those lists before appointing an unaffiliated volunteer.

In 2023, the RNC submitted a list of 55 individuals to serve as election inspectors to the Racine Common Council, which appointed the individuals to serve in the apring elections April 2, 2024.

But the city clerk refused to schedule 47 of those individuals, including the two plaintiffs in the case, to serve in the August 13 partisan primaries, instead appointing unaffiliated individuals to make up 85% of all election inspectors in the city.

“Plaintiffs have a clear legal right to serve as election inspectors in the City of Racine before election inspectors not affiliated with either the Republican or Democratic Parties,” the lawsuit reads. “Defendant has no authority to unilaterally reject, disregard, or prevent properly nominated and appointed election inspectors by the two dominant or recognized political parties, such as Plaintiffs, from performing their duties as election inspectors when positions are available, and before allowing unaffiliated individuals from filling those roles.”

The litigation requests a permanent injunction prohibiting the city clerk from restricting the plaintiffs and all others nominated by the RNC from serving as election inspectors in November.

Racine City Clerk Tara McMenamin called the litigation “meritless.”

“The City of Racine is committed to hiring election officials who meet all statutory requirements, irrespective of political affiliation,” McMenamin said in a statement Tuesday. “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.”

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Thérèse Boudreaux is an apprentice reporter covering Michigan and Wisconsin for The Center Square, under the mentorship of Midwest Regional Editor J.D. Davidson. Her work focuses on election-related news in these two states. Previously, she interned at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. Thérèse graduated with a major in politics from Hillsdale College in May of 2024, where she produced award-winning radio journalism.
Photo “Voting Machine” by Denver Elections.

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