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FACT BRIEF

Are guns allowed at some polling places in Wisconsin?

By Jacob Alabab-Moser
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YES

Guns are allowed at some polling places in Wisconsin, depending on the voting location, Attorney General Josh Kaul told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. While guns are universally banned at schools — where many polling places in the state are located — there is no statewide law preventing the possession of guns in polling places.

However, private or government buildings may post "no weapons" signs that would apply to polling places on their premises, according to a 2020 memo by Wisconsin Elections Commission Administrator Meagan Wolfe.  

Regardless of where the polling place is, however, no one may brandish a gun or use it to intimidate voters. State law allows election inspectors to call law enforcement to remove anyone who is "disorderly in the presence or hearing of the inspectors" or "interrupts or disturbs the proceedings."

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Can people bring guns to the polls? In Wisconsin, it depends where you vote.
State of Wisconsin Summary memo of Wisconsin weapons/physical security laws and applicability to polling places
Wisconsin State Legislature Wisconsin Legislature: 7.37(2)
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Wisconsin Watch
Wisconsin Watch, the news arm of the nonpartisan, nonprofit Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, increases the quality and quantity of investigative reporting in Wisconsin, while training current and future investigative journalists. Its work fosters an informed citizenry and strengthens democracy.
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Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.