Wisconsin election officials receive training to deal with threats of violence | WUWM 89.7 FM

Election officials are prepared for all the usual Election Day challenges, such as long lines and the inevitable questions. In addition, workers across the state have also received training to combat potential threats to their safety.

Acts of violence against election workers are rare, but threats are common height after the 2020 presidential elections.

In response, safety training is now being offered to Wisconsin election workers like Martha Kipcak of Milwaukee.

“This is the first year since I’ve been working at the polls for eight years that they’ve offered a security class. This was not mandatory; it was an optional thing,” Kipchak said. “We’ve never talked about it this way before.”

Kipcak said the safety training included presentations from the Department of Homeland Security and the Milwaukee Police Department, which covered issues such as detecting strange behavior and when to call 911. The goal is not to teach election workers how to physically de-escalate everything situations, but to know that they can handle some things themselves, while others require a third party.

Safety training has become a new emphasis in training for election workers across the state. In an October report on election security, the Wisconsin Elections Commission noted that while election security has focused on cybersecurity in the past, new threats have required training on the physical security of election workers.

Caitlin Bernard is a city clerk for the city of Wausau in central Wisconsin. She says some election officials have asked for training, in part because of increased threats of violence in recent years.

“Starting in 2022, after the 2020 election and how it went, we’ve been more focused on physical threats and physical security,” Bernard said. “This was facilitated by some of our election workers who asked for it. You know, they want to participate, they want to help the elections take place. But they also want to know that they can feel safe there.”

David Haynes is co-director of the Wisconsin Alliance for Civic Trust (WisAct). WisAct is part of a nationwide coalition to respond to political violence. Haynes said he spoke with municipal officials across the state and found that personal threats of political violence were widespread.

“Almost everyone we talked to either had a story of him or her being threatened, or they knew someone who had been,” Haynes said.

And while threats of violence against government officials are rarely carried out, Haynes says that threat alone may be enough to change the behavior of those government officials, especially after Election Day.

“These threats themselves are a form of political violence because they can change the way people in public life do their jobs. They are less accessible to the public, for example they tighten up their offices or in some cases decide to leave entirely because they didn’t sign up for it,” Haynes said.

Despite all the unknowns, election workers like Kypchak are ready to do their jobs. Kipchak completed all the training this year and says she knows how to respond to threats should they arise. But now she’s just waiting for another election day.

“So we are prepared for whatever happens to us, but I expect it to be very efficient and somewhat orderly. It might take a while, but I think people will like it.”

Like many election workers, Kipchak said she got involved because she wanted to be an active participant in democracy. What keeps her coming back are the people she meets on Election Day.

“The polling place company is great. You really get to know people and it’s really nice. I’m proud of it.”