Madison, Wisconsin has a rule in place for this year’s midterm general election that requires all poll workers to provide proof of being “fully vaccinated against COVID-19,” a negative PCR test, or an approved medical or religious exemption.
Wisconsin Republican Party executive director Mark Jefferson said that the original vaccine requirement allowed for no exceptions. He said that after the state GOP began looking into legal remedies, the city government agreed to allow participation by those with negative tests or allowed exemptions.
“The only explanation for the mandate is that it was implemented to deter right-leaning poll workers from overseeing election procedures.” https://t.co/NfOx4H8Em5
— Cicero (@mthjwbgs) November 5, 2022
Of course, there is no way to know how many otherwise qualified potential poll workers decided against participation because they are unvaccinated or do not want to provide a negative test to government officials.
There is also no discernable medical reason for requiring the jabs in November 2022, months after Joe Biden declared the pandemic is “over.” Medical proof is now mounting day by day that the approved COVID vaccines are ineffective at preventing infection or transmission.
The city government said through a spokesperson that Madison is requiring vaccinations for poll workers because the city still has a vaccine mandate in place for regular city employees. Poll workers are deemed by the city to be “temporary city employees.”
The Federalist conducted an analysis comparing Madison’s stated policy to other cities. Even progressive bastion Chicago does not require poll watchers or election coordinators to be vaccinated, even though it still mandates vaccinations for all city employees, contractors, and vendors.
The Madison City Clerk confirmed that election workers and poll watchers are not required to carry any vaccinations other than for COVID-19.
The Federalist asked whether the COVID vaccine requirement could have anything to do with the fact that persons more inclined to be politically conservative are less likely to be vaccinated than progressive Democrats who ask to work on the elections.
As the state capitol and home to the University of Wisconsin, Madison will be a key location for determining the outcome of the elections in the battleground state. The race for the U.S. Senate seat from Wisconsin up for grabs this year is likely to be instrumental to the control of the upper chamber over the next two years.
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) is facing off with Democrat Mandela Barnes. The current RealClearPolitics polling average shows Johnson holds a narrow 2.8 percentage point lead over Barnes, 49.2% to 46.4%.
