RACINE, Wis. — The Republican National Committee has filed a lawsuit against the City of Racine, saying the city did not hire enough Republican poll workers for last month’s primary election.
In the lawsuit, the RNC said there were a disproportionate number of Democrat and Republican election inspectors.
Political parties typically nominate members of their party to work the polls. Officials then appoint election inspectors based on that list of nominations as per state law.
The RNC lawsuit claims of the 56 Republican election workers approved to work on election day in the Aug. 13 primary, only nine were hired. It also states that Racine hired more Democrats despite there being fewer approved.
“Racine deliberately excluded Republicans and violated the law. We are suing to hire the number of Republicans that Wisconsin law requires, stop Democrat interference, and uphold election integrity for our country’s most important election,” RNC Chairman Michael Whatley said in a statement.
The lawsuit points to two election workers who were nominated by the Republican Party, Gary Hendrickson of Sturtevant and Angela Bartzen of Franksville.
It says Hendrickson served as a poll worker in the City of Racine for the April 2 spring election but was not contacted to work for the Aug. 13 primary.
It also says Bartzen inquired about attending a training and getting scheduled to work at a polling location. However, the lawsuit indicates that Bartzen was informed there were no more trainings available and was not contacted again by the City Clerk.
Officials said they filed this lawsuit to ensure that Racine hires its approved Republican election inspectors for the upcoming general election.
Racine City Clerk Tara McMenamin responded to the lawsuit with the following statement:
“The City of Racine is committed to hiring election officials who meet all statutory requirements, irrespective of political affiliation. In anticipation of potential increases in meritless litigation leading up to the presidential election, we are steadfast in maintaining consistent standards. 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.”
Read the full lawsuit below: