Opinion: Poll reveals disturbing view of WI election trustworthiness

Wisconsin Pillars Jason Fields and Tim Higgins published an op-ed in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel encouraging citizens to speak directly with local election officials to learn more about how elections are administered. They write: 

We understand why people have questions. Wisconsin’s decentralized system of election administration can look complex at first blush. Additionally, some election processes can vary from district to district, which can add to confusion and skepticism. However, when you take a closer look, you will see the decentralized nature of our elections is exactly why we can have such confidence in the results.

But, we hope you don’t take our word for it. Instead, we invite you to learn more about how elections are administered in our state by talking to your local election officials. There are nearly 2,000 municipal and county clerks in Wisconsin that oversee the elections in their communities. Further, these individuals rely on committed volunteers — our friends, neighbors, co-workers, etc. — to serve as poll workers on Election Day who make sure each of us can securely cast our ballot for the candidates of our choice.

Our perspective is informed by our involvement with the Pillars of the Community project. Pillars of the Community is made up of a diverse group of civic and community leaders from both political parties who had the opportunity to sit down with election officials to learn more about election administration. The officials walked us through the process step by step, and we had the opportunity to ask all the tough questions we could think of.

Jason Fields is the Chief Strategy Officer for the Center for Black Excellence and a former Democratic member of the State Assembly. Tim Higgins is a small business owner and long-time Republican activist from Appleton.

Read the piece here (paywalled).