Wisconsin poll watchers lawsuit, judge sides with GOP

GREEN BAY, Wis. - A Wisconsin judge is ordering the city of Green Bay to give election observers more access. The Republican National Committee had filed a lawsuit, accusing a city clerk of refusing to let its poll watchers see the entire absentee voting process.

"What are they trying to hide? What are they trying to cover up?" said Cindy Kutschenreuter.

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The judge sided with Republicans who said the clerk was not letting them stand in a hallway where voters were filling out and depositing their ballots.

"I don't know why Green Bay was balking at letting our observer observe. I mean, that doesn't make any sense, does it?" said U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin).

The latest FOX News poll showed Johnson leading Democratic challenger Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes by two points among people who say they're certain to vote or already have.

"All we're trying to do is restore confidence in our election system. We're not trying to gain any partisan advantage," Johnson said. "The way you restore confidence in the system is you make sure we have observers."

Asked what he thought about the lawsuit, Barnes said: "We’re talking about a group of folks who have always tried to rig the rules, and these are the people who supported the potential overturning of a free and fair election. These are not the people to trust with democracy."

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Some of Barnes' supporters feel the same.

"They need to go home, the polls are as safe as they can be," said Sandy Cook. "We don’t need angry people in there disrupting the works."

The city of Green Bay said in a statement that it welcomes election observers to promote transparency and confidence in elections. As of last week, the Republican National Committee had filed 73 lawsuits related to the integrity of the midterm elections.