Green Bay, WI —State Representative Amaad Rivera-Wagner (D-Green Bay) announced today the introduction of a suite of pro-democracy bills designed to ensure Wisconsin’s elections remain free, fair, and accessible. The package includes new protections for election workers, voter education for high school students, and a measure empowering communities to adopt ranked-choice voting for local elections.
“Our democracy is strongest when people participate in it,” said Rep. Rivera-Wagner. “That means making it easier for young people to get registered to vote, ensuring voters have more choices on their ballots, and protecting the clerks and election workers who keep our elections running. At a time when democracy is under attack, Wisconsin must stand firm.”
The first bill makes it a crime to harass, stalk, or intimidate election officials, poll workers, or municipal employees engaged in election duties. It creates stronger penalties for those who target individuals simply for carrying out their role in voter registration, absentee ballot processing, or poll operations.
“Unfortunately, Green Bay has seen its fair share of disturbing incidents,” Rivera-Wagner noted. “In one case, an individual filmed the city clerk from outside her office, later went on to disrupt elections as an ‘observer,’ and is now on trial for accessory to murder of a child. Another ‘observer’ stalked the partner of a city employee and published his private cell phone number online. The same woman later harassed postal workers and even a graphic designer, falsely accusing them of being ‘mules for absentee ballots.’ And during the 2020 central count, an ‘observer’ accused Green Bay police officers of being traitors as they ensured ballots were delivered safely. These threats are unacceptable. Our bill makes clear: if you target election workers, you will be held accountable.”
The second allows counties and municipalities to adopt ranked-choice voting for local nonpartisan elections if approved by referendum. Ranked-choice voting empowers voters to rank candidates in order of preference, ensures majority support for winners, reduces polarization, and encourages more diverse candidates to run.
“By giving voters more voice and choice, ranked-choice voting helps restore trust in our elections,” said Rivera-Wagner. “It’s already being used successfully in cities across the country, from Minneapolis to New York City, and it gives local communities here in Wisconsin the power to decide whether it’s right for them.”
“Democracy is not something we can take for granted,” Rivera-Wagner concluded. “We’ve seen firsthand how fragile it can be when it is attacked. But we’ve also seen how resilient it becomes when people step up—when young people get registered, when neighbors turn out to vote, and when we protect the workers who make it all possible. That’s the Wisconsin tradition, and that’s the future we’re building.”
