Become a Poll Worker or Poll Watcher

Poll workers do everything from check-in voters to help people register to vote, from checking photo IDs to processing absentee ballots.  Your local clerk will provide you with training prior to election day for the job you will be doing. 

To be a poll worker, a person must

  • Be a qualified elector of the county in which the municipality is located (i.e., an adult citizen of the United States who has resided in the election district for 28 consecutive days and is not otherwise disqualified to vote).
  • Be able to read and write fluently in the English language.
  • NOT be a candidate for any office to be voted on at the polling place at that election.

If you are interested in being a poll worker, find your clerk by searching using your address HERE.  Just click on the email address to send the clerk a message with “Poll Worker Applicant” in the subject line with a few words about your interest and your contact information.

If you are 16 years or 17 years old, enrolled in school, and have at least a 3.0 GPA, you can be a poll worker. You just need your parent’s or guardian’s signature. 

Poll Watchers (Election Observers)

The State of Wisconsin permits individuals to observe voting and the election administration process at polling places on Election Day. It also permits observers to view the absentee voting process in the municipal clerk’s office, central count processes, recounts, and voting in residential care facilities and nursing homes.

CLICK HERE
for an outline from the Wisconsin Elections Commission’s interpretation of statutes governing the conduct of election observers.

Wisconsin W.S.A. 7.41 Any member of the public may be an observer except for a candidate on the ballot; observers must be in a designated location and they have to sign a log maintained by an official at the polling place.


For more information on how to become a poll watcher, contact your local county political party.