GIS Elections Specialist

The Wisconsin Elections Commission is charged under Wisconsin Statutes to administer and enforce Wisconsin’s elections laws. A core mission of the Commission is to ensure ongoing and quality education, training, outreach, technical assistance, and advice to municipal clerks, county clerks, and local election inspectors (poll workers) that conduct elections as well as to ensure adherence to, and compliance with Wisconsin election laws and required procedures. 

Another core function of the Commission is to provide current and accurate information to the public as well as various governmental and other organizations about the State’s electoral processes, voting statistics, and trends. 

For more information about the Wisconsin Elections Commission, visit our website. 

For more information about positions in State Government, please see the General Information Page. 

The Elections Commission is recruiting for five Elections Specialist positions. Three of the positions will participate as part of the Elections Administration team and two of the position will participate as part of the WisVote team, with different focuses as noted below.

Position Summary:   

Election Administration Positions 

Under the general supervision of the Commission Administrator these positions are responsible for core election administration tasks, including, but not limited to: review of state and federal candidate ballot access documents, ballot design and review, and canvass of election results. 

* Two of the positions will act as a resource for county, municipal, and school district clerks and administrators, as well as candidates, voters and the general public. These positions regularly conduct education, training, technical assistance workshops, seminars, and certification classes for local election officials and members of the public.  

See the full position description here.

*In consultation with other team members, the third position will process voting equipment approval applications and will design and implement approval standards and testing protocols for voting equipment. The incumbent will draft reports summarizing the testing protocol, standards, and results, and will make written and verbal presentations to the Commission regarding approval or denial of voting equipment applications. 

See the full position description of the Voting Systems and Accessibility Elections Specialist here. 

WisVote Positions 
The two WisVote positions will provide services regarding the Wisconsin’s statewide voter registration system called WisVote, which is a database of voter and election information as well as a primary tool for administration of elections in the state. The positions provide customer support to local election officials who work in the system and complete state-level tasks to create and process data in the system.  

*One of these positions works with voter and election data in general. See the full description of this position here. 

*An important aspect of the second WisVote position is to provide support to Local Election Officials on the use of mapping tools available in the Commission’s systems, and to continuously improve the accuracy and currency of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) data within those systems. This includes outreach with local GIS sources, analyzing and maintaining geographic information using standard GIS tools, and assisting local election officials in the use of mapping tools. These duties ensure that residences of voters are included in the correct electoral jurisdictions and their names appear in the proper poll books. 

See the full position description of the GIS Elections Specialist position here. 

http://www.doa.wi.gov/documents/jobs/GIS%20PD.pdf

Special Notes:   

• Employment will require the successful completion of a criminal background check.

• The selected candidate must not have given a political contribution to a candidate for a partisan state or local office in the twelve months prior to appointment, and must comply with the agency’s nonpartisan requirements during employment.

• Must possess a valid Wisconsin driver license that meets the State’s Risk Management requirements, or be able to provide your own transportation to work locations.

• In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States, and to complete the required employment eligibility form upon hire.

Qualifications:   Qualified applicants will have knowledge of or experience with election laws or administrative rules; written and verbal communication skills, including experience effectively providing technical assistance or customer support, and experience preparing professional written correspondence or documents. 

Well qualified applicants will have experience working with Local or State Officials.

How To Apply:   If you have not already done so, you will need to create an account. Application materials will not be accepted if received in an email, as a hard copy or a fax. If you are unable to complete the materials, due to a disability or system problem, please contact Stephanie Holzem. 

After you are logged in and are viewing the announcement, click “Apply Now.” You will be asked to provide your personal information, attach a resume, and submit a letter of interest. Online applications that do not include all of the requested materials will not be considered. 

Submitted materials will be evaluated by subject matter experts and qualified applicants will be invited to participate in the next step of the selection process. 

If you need assistance with the online application process, please contact Stephanie Holzem at 608-266-7212 or via e-mail to Stephanie.Holzem@wisconsin.gov“>Stephanie.Holzem@wisconsin.gov. 

Applicants eligible to apply for permissive consideration (transfer, demotion, reinstatement) to positions assigned to the pay schedule/range 07-04 must apply online through the formal application process to be considered.