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No.
Viral Facebook posts that claim ballots will be disqualified if a poll worker writes on a ballot before handing it to a voter at the check-in table are false.
Wisconsin’s clerk manual explains a ballot must be initialed by two poll workers before it’s given to a voter, a practice also outlined in state law.
The manual also states poll workers should not pre-initial ballots before voters arrive at the check-in table, even if the polling place is busy. The initials make it a “live” ballot.
At the end of election night, poll workers check for those initials to make sure the number of ballots cast matches the number of voters recorded, election officials explained.
Sample ballot templates show the section where poll workers must sign their initials.
The same, nearly verbatim claim about ballot markings has circulated in past elections and has been debunked.
This Fact Brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
- Wisconsin Elections Commission: Election Law & Administration in Wisconsin (ELAW) Manual
- Wisconsin State Legislature: Wis. Stat. § 6.80(2)(d)
- Wisconsin Elections Commission: Election For Wisconsin Legislature: 6.80(2)(d)ms
- PolitiFact: Script is safe: Your ballot won’t be disqualified if an election official writes on it
- USA TODAY: Election officials debunk claim that marked ballots are invalid
Is a Wisconsin ballot disqualified if a poll worker writes on it? is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.
