Wisconsin voters across party lines back statewide regulation of ballot drop boxes amid concerns over election integrity, according to new polling unveiled at a WisPolitics event today.
The polling was commissioned by the bipartisan Democracy Defense Project, which was part of the WisPolitics luncheon in Madison.
The polling came from the Tarrance Group, a Republican research and strategy firm, and FM3 Research, a Dem-leaning political research firm specializing in campaigns. The poll asked 600 likely voters across Wisconsin May 16-19 about election integrity, with results largely split across party lines. It was conducted over cellphone, text and landline.
However, the poll found that 79% of overall voters favored the creation of such ballot drop box standards, with 76% of Democrats, 83% of Republicans and 76% of independents in support.
>> WisPolitics is now on the State Affairs network. Get custom keyword notifications, bill tracking and all WisPolitics content. Get the app or access via desktop.
“The two questions that you can ask where Republicans and Democrats agree. Question A is, would you support the creation of statewide standards? Question B: Do you like puppies? Those are the only two,” Dave Sackett, Tarrance Group partner, joked at the luncheon.
Over 90% of Democrats were either “very confident” or “somewhat confident” that votes in the Wisconsin November election will be accurately cast and counted as opposed to 46% of Republicans.
Sackett also discussed proposals for federalized election monitoring, such as the SAVE America Act, which would require proof of U.S. citizenship and photo identification at the polls, with former Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair Mike Tate.
“One of the most important things that I think that has been the hallmark of how elections have happened in this country, for at least in modern times, has been that we think the people who run the state of Wisconsin are the people that should run our elections,” Tate said.
The polling also asked about the view of election workers and officials across the state, with 63% of all voters classifying them as important volunteers and 37% as partisans who need to be monitored.
Additionally, voters were asked if they thought election officials were knowingly falsifying vote counts with 18% of voters saying “yes, often” and 23% saying “yes, occasionally.”
Marge Bostelmann, retired Green Lake County clerk and member of the Wisconsin Elections Commission, said “that cannot happen in Wisconsin,” detailing the process for counting and verifying votes in the state.
“It’s not going to happen,” she said.
