GOP trained Wisconsin election observers to target voting machines in pivotal swing state

The Republican National Committee (RNC) is piloting a training program for Wisconsin election observers to identify discrepancies with voting machines, as the GOP piles additional scrutiny on voting processes in the swing state. 

The new program came to light from private RNC training recordings obtained by the pro-democracy group Fair Fight Action and first reported by CNN.

Raising issues with voting machines could force polling stations to take some machines out of service, exacerbating waiting times for voters. President Donald Trump has attempted to cast doubt on the accuracy of voting machines in the past. In a July prime time address to the nation, Trump suggested China had compromised electronic voting machines even though the intelligence community rejected claims that foreign governments were able to manipulate vote totals. 

Launched for Wisconsin’s Aug. 11 primary, the new RNC program appears to mark an escalation from typical poll watching activities, adding a fleet of “special monitor” volunteers trained to focus on flagging technical issues related to ballot counting procedures.

“This is the first time that we are running a special monitor operation,” Jenna Banfield, the Wisconsin Republican Party’s election integrity director, told attendees at a July training meeting. “You’re not the first ones ever. We’ve tested this in other states, and it has gone over very, very well. But you will be the first group of people doing this.” 

Banfield told volunteers that the party was “testing and piloting” the operation in the Wisconsin primary before launching it “more fully for the November general election.”

Wisconsin Democrats hope to sweep statewide elections in November, with races for governor, attorney general and secretary of state on the ballot. The state also has at least two competitive U.S. House races on the ballot, which could play a role in Democrats’ efforts to win control of Congress.

The RNC’s latest election innovation appears to be laser-focused on identifying any possible technical issues related to Wisconsin voting. 

“We’re going to be looking specifically at machine testing, the processing of absentee ballots and the actual canvassing of results,” Banfield went on. 

The RNC training instructed volunteers to look for deviations and inconsistencies in voting or ballot counting processes, then report that information to a hotline. The party would then deploy an attorney to the area in response. 

“Say we get to Election Day and the seal that was placed during testing isn’t the same seal on the machine. Well, that could have been tampered with, and we don’t want them using that machine.”