After submitting an application, the Milwaukee Election Commission will review. Once accepted, organizations sign on to an agreement to attend all required trainings, assign a main point of contact, and agree to complete all of the necessary forms by stated deadlines. Organizations will agree to fully staff their adopted site based on state minimum requirements. They also agree to comply with all state rules on election administration, accessibility, bilingual needs, and other critical policies that support voting in Milwaukee.
Organizations that participate in the Adopt-A-Site Program shall confirm and agree to administer their polling site based on the rules and guidance for nonpartisan activity on Election Day. Voting is a quintessential American experience. And our pollworkers stand on the frontlines of democracy and have sworn an oath to protect voting and uphold local, state, and federal laws to adminster free, nonpartisan, and fair elections.
The polling locations open at 7:00 a.m. and close at 8:00 p.m.. Workers are expected to work from 6:00 a.m. until approximately 9:00 p.m. or when the work is completed.
The Election Commission will work with you to choose a site to adopt.
Election Inspectors must be eligible to vote and never been convicted of a felony. Election Inspectors must live in Milwaukee County, and Chief Inspectors must live in the City of Milwaukee. All pollworkers are required to complete the state required trainings that are administered by the Milwaukee Election Commission. Necessary skills include reading and writing English as well as an ability to process information and work well with the public.
We provide in-person trainings for new Election Inspectors and Chief Inspectors. In addition we have various online modules and webinar that provide further guidance on how to run a polling location. We will work with your organization to coordinate in-person training at your organization, when possible. All training is based on state-mandated requirements.
The state minimum requirement for a polling location depends on a variety of factors, but can range from 5 to 20 people depending on the number of wards and turnout at those locations. All sites must meet the minimum requirement at all times and must have a trained Chief working the site at all times. Once you've been accepted into the Adopt-A-Site program our staff will work with you on all of these important details. We recommend that sites recruit more than the minimum number of staff in the event of a last minute cancellation.