Angela O'Brien Sharpe
Role at the time: Wisconsin Elections Commission attorney supervisor
Mixed or conditional
Statement summary
Sharpe says federal law enforcement may observe an election, subject to Wisconsin's observer rules, and that the commission's guidance does not authorize armed federal observers.
“If federal law enforcement wishes to observe an election, then they are permitted to do so,”
Open source (opens in a new tab)Wisconsin officials debate federal agents observing at polling placesGault email, Sharpe response and Levitt and Trueblood interviews
Why we used this label
Relative to the prospect of ICE and other federal agents at polling places, Sharpe says federal law enforcement may observe under the state's observer rules but that the guidance does not authorize armed federal observers. She accepts one form of presence and rules out another, so mixed or conditional fits.