All voters have the right to vote free of intimidation, including from law enforcement, military, and federal agents.
It is illegal for anyone to try to or actually intimidate, threaten, or coerce someone who is voting or trying to vote, or someone who is helping a person to vote. By law, members of the military, state and local law enforcement, and federal agents, including ICE, may not intimidate or prevent a qualified voter from voting through force, threat, or other action. It doesn’t matter if the intimidation was deliberate, as long as the voter, or the voter’s helper, felt intimidated.
Beyond the federal laws against intimidation, it is also illegal for any person in the U.S. civil, military, or naval service to order troops or armed federal agents to any place where an election is held. By law, officers of the U.S. military may not interfere with the freedom of any election or the exercise of the right to vote in any state.
All voters have the right not to be discriminated against based on race, national origin, or disability.
All voters who need assistance because of a disability or inability to read and write in the language of the ballot may choose someone to help them to vote, as long as the person is not an agent/representative of the voter’s employer or union.
If you have questions or need assistance on-site, the best person to speak to is a local election worker. Poll workers are members of your community, and work for the municipal or county government rather than the federal government.
If you observe violations of these rules, call 866-OUR-VOTE, the Election Protection Hotline! You can even report anonymously. If you are voting in person, and you feel comfortable doing so, you can quietly report your concerns to an on-site poll worker. Do not approach, speak to, or engage a law enforcement officer.
A poll worker or another voter can challenge your right to vote; however, a challenge made by another voter can only be made to question the following:
A poll worker (also known as the “election inspector”) can also challenge you for failure to adhere to certain voting requirements and procedures. If you have questions about the validity of the challenge, call Election Protection.
If someone challenges a voter, the challenger’s name and address will be recorded on a challenge form.
Poll workers CAN ask for your name and address and to see your ID. This is required by Wisconsin law, and every voter must show ID in order to vote a regular ballot.
Speak to the Chief Election Inspector of the polling place. The Chief Election Inspector is in charge of the polling place and serves as a liaison between clerks and the poll workers. If that does not resolve the issue, call Election Protection.
No, observers may not take photos or videos inside the polling place. However, voters may take photos and videos of themselves as long as it is not disruptive. Voters should avoid taking photos of their marked ballots as state law prohibits intentionally showing a marked ballot to someone else. The media can take photos and videos during voting hours outside of the voting area.
The Chief Election Inspector has the authority to decide who is allowed in the polling place.
Observers CANNOT be within three feet of the check-in area of a polling place.
Speak to the Chief Election Inspector. This person can instruct poll workers to perform certain duties and remove individuals from the polling place, including observers. If that does not resolve the issue, call Election Protection.
Voters are entitled to assistance. If a voter has a disability that requires assistance to vote, cannot read or write, or has trouble reading or writing English, the voter may bring a person of their choice to help them vote. The person providing assistance may not be the voter’s union representative or employer. A voter who has a disability that requires assistance to vote also has the right to assistance mailing or delivering their absentee ballot from a person of their choice, as long as that person is not the voter’s union representative or employer.
Fair Elections Center and its Campus Vote Project intend the information contained herein to be used only as a general guide. This document should not be used as a substitute for consultation with a licensed Wisconsin legal professional. Updated August 2026.