Mayor Johnson Honors 40 Chief Election Inspectors

MILWAUKEE – Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson and Milwaukee Elections Commission Executive Director Claire Woodall will honor 40 Chief Inspectors for their combined decades of service to elections administration on Friday at a City Hall ceremony.

Johnson and Woodall will present each Chief Inspector with a personalized mayoral proclamation recognizing their role as “the bedrock of the electoral process, providing guidance, expertise and stability to their fellow poll workers and inspiring future generations to actively participate in our democracy.”

“Candidates for office usually get most of the media attention,” said Mayor Johnson. But it is the Chief Inspectors and Election Inspectors who ensure that our democratic process runs smoothly, and is conducted with integrity. These are the unsung heroes of democracy, and today we honor them for their service to our city and the great state of Wisconsin.”   

Chief Inspectors are responsible for managing the operations of polling locations on Election Day and providing guidance to thousands of poll workers, known as Election Inspectors. Their responsibilities include setting up each voting site to run efficiently, ensuring state statute is strictly followed, providing exemplary customer service, and trouble-shooting any issues that may come up.

“I hope that this celebration will not only serve as a tribute to these 40 Chief Inspectors but also as an inspiration to future generations of election officials as we head into a Presidential election year. Their tireless efforts to uphold the principles of fairness, transparency, and access to the ballot make them pillars of our democracy.”

Each of the 40 of the Chief Inspectors who are to be recognized at Friday’s event has more than 10 years of personal experience serving in that role. The longest-serving individual has worked as a Chief Inspector for 42 years. Combined, these Chief Inspectors have 622 years of experience administering elections, and have collectively worked more than 1,500 elections as Chief Inspectors.

Milwaukee has nearly 200 Chief Inspectors who work four elections in even years and two elections in odd years. Over 2,300 poll workers staff 181 voting locations on Election Day, eight to ten early voting locations, and Central Count.

Individuals who are interested in becoming an Election Inspector can apply online. Those wishing to become a Chief Inspector can also apply online, and must have prior experience as an Election Inspector.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.