Madison mayor proposes $1,000 high-quality for harassing election officers

Benjamin Yount | The Center Sq. contributor

July 13, 10:30 AM July 13, 10:30 AM

(The Middle Square) – Considerably less than one particular month just before Wisconsin’s next election, Madison’s mayor is proposing a new ban on harassing election workers.

Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway unveiled a new ordinance Tuesday that would make it a crime to “engage in violent, abusive, indecent, profane, boisterous, unreasonably loud or usually disorderly carry out beneath situations in which these kinds of carry out tends to induce or provoke a disturbance” in opposition to poll employees or nearby election professionals.

Fines would start out at $300, and are capped at $1,000.

Rhodes-Conway suggests the $1,000 fine “reflects the hurt to the election procedure, in addition to the result of these actions on election officials.”

The new ordinance also permits Madison to press for a fine for each individual instance of harassment.

“After the 2020 election and the attack on the U.S. Capitol, election officers in Madison and Dane County and in towns and villages throughout the condition have confronted threats and harassment for basically accomplishing their jobs,” the mayor reported in a assertion. “By introducing these ordinance alterations, the overall City of Madison, our law enforcement and our prosecutors are standing up and expressing ‘enough.’ We are likely to do every little thing we can to guard our clerks and poll staff from threats of violence and harassment.”

Rhodes-Conway did not point to any specific illustrations of harassment that area election officers have acquired though carrying out their positions.

The proposed ordinance is also a little limited on particulars of just what constitutes harassment.

“With intent to harass, annoy, or offend yet another, sends a telecommunication message to a telecommunication product and makes use of any violent, abusive, indecent, or profane language or graphic, or any other message which tends to cause or provoke a disturbance or while less than the influence of liquor, in a public position, engages in violent, abusive, indecent, profane, boisterous, unreasonably loud or otherwise disorderly carry out underneath situation in which this sort of perform tends to induce or provoke a disturbance,” is how the ordinance defines a harassment violation.

Rhodes-Conway suggests she has help from numerous of Madison’s town council customers. Her ordinance is on upcoming week’s agenda.

Voters in Wisconsin head to the polls on August 9.