Wisconsin elections officials hoping to restore jobs that were cut

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

MADISON - The Wisconsin Elections Commission asked for three more workers Monday because it has seen its staff cut by 28% over two years.

In the most recent round of cuts, Gov. Scott Walker in September used his veto powers to eliminate five jobs from the agency. In all, six jobs were lost because lawmakers had already agreed to trim one position.

Since 2015, the agency has lost 10 positions, reducing its ranks from 36 to 26.

"These realities pose a risk to the smooth administration of elections in Wisconsin, and also create a greater challenge for the agency and local election offiicials to meet their legal obligations to fully implement federal and state laws," Michael Haas, the administrator of the Elections Commission, wrote in a recent memo.

The commission — which consists of three Democrats and three Republicans — on Monday unanimously voted to ask to restore three positions to the agency.

Commission Chairman Mark Thomsen said the request represented the minimum the agency would need to handle its workload.

To get the workers, the commission would need the support of the Legislature and Walker. Lawmakers from both parties showed support for that notion when they worked on the state budget, but Walker vetoed their staffing plans.

In his veto message in September, Walker wrote that the commission "has been operating effectively with fewer staff." An aide to Walker did not immediately say Monday whether his thinking on the issue had changed since then.

The commission this fall cut six positions — four election specialists, an office operations associate and a legal assistant. The positions had been vacant for a year, in part because of the challenges with hiring and keeping staff at a time when its budget was in flux, Haas wrote.

Because of the staff shortage, "the agency has experienced a steady and cumulative erosion in its capacity to simultaneously perform all of the tasks delegated to it under state and federal laws," Haas wrote in his memo to the commission.

That has meant delays for developing electronic poll books and other computer systems, writing administrative rules, updating voter information and audits of the accessibility of polling places, Haas wrote.

The commission is hoping to get the authority to hire two elections specialists and an information technology worker.

Elections specialists train and support local clerks, review nomination papers, review the designs of ballots, test voting equipment, assist with absentee ballots and handle questions from candidates, clerks and voters about complex election issues.

Meanwhile, the commission's IT needs have come to the fore after Wisconsin officials learned their computer systems were targeted in July and August 2016 by Russian hackers. Wisconsin officials were aware of the attempts at the time but did not know until this September that Russian government actors were behind them.

Officials say hackers did not get into Wisconsin's voter registration system. They are now working to improve their cyber security plans.