skews13
Diamond Member
- Mar 18, 2017
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As soon as I saw this story (www.jsonline.com/...) about the Republican mayor of Wausau, Wisconsin, removing a ballot drop box from in front of city hall, red flags went up all over the place.
First of all, this is obviously a well-choreographed photo op: hard hat, gloves, smirky smile, etc.
But second, and most importantly, elected officials in Wisconsin are not allowed to interfere in any way, shape, or form with elections.
The Wausau municipal clerk, Kaitlyn Bernarde, has filed two reports, one labeling this as an "election irregularity," and the other for failing to put it back. It is now being investigated by the county DA's office and the county Sheriff's office.
Diny's response? He said the clerk is "out of her lane" for reporting this incident.
WHOA!!!!!!! In Wisconsin, the lane for all pre-election equipment handling runs right through the municipal clerk's office. S/he has the ultimate responsibility AND legal authority for maintaining, storing, and keeping track of this equipment.
Regarding outdoor ballot drop boxes, the Wisconsin Supreme Court has said that they are permitted UNLESS a municipality's governing body decides against it. My own MAGA town board has decided against using the drop box for ballots. The drop box, which was initially purchased with grant money to help election officials deal with the pandemic in 2020, is now wrapped in a black plastic bag, with a sign that says, "No Ballots."
BUT, during the rest of the year, it is available for things like…oh, say, paying property taxes. So, it's apparently secure enough for people to put in envelopes containing checks for thousands of dollars, but not for ballots. Oh...and there is an outdoor security camera aimed at it at all times.
Therefore, all absentee ballots in my town need to mailed. I went to the Post Office and placed mine in the outdoor blue bin, which looks a lot like the ballot drop box right across the street from it. Literally, a couple of hundred feet from it. The guy in the Post Office stamps it, puts it in the Town's P.O. Box, and the clerk has to pick up ballots a couple of time a day. Go figure.
Anyway, apparently Mayor Doug wants the Wausau City Council to vote to prevent the drop box from going back outside. It hasn't done so yet, so the clerk is perfectly within her lane, PER STATE LAW, to decide to use it.
It should be noted that the above drop box is locked and has a sign on it that says, "Kiosk Closed." It had to be secured to the pavement before it could be used, which the clerk was going to do the following day. So, it was not even being used yet when the mayor dressed up for his photo op.
Legally, she could take it back out there on Monday, bolt it to the pavement, and double dare the mayor to remove it again.
Around the country, MAGA elected officials like Diny are sticking their noses into election matters that are not only none of their business, but illegal in some cases. They need to be called out and stopped. Kudos to Bernarde for taking her oath of office seriously and following Wisconsin election law. Double kudos for having the courage to do so.
Pay attention, folks, especially if you live outside big cities. These two-bit, small city elected officials are a bit full of themselves right now and think that they are above the law. Mainly because officials like Diny don't even know anything about election law. Keep an eye out for them!
Wisconsin Mayor Broke Election Law?
As soon as I saw this story (www.jsonline.com/...) about the Republican mayor of Wausau, Wisconsin, removing a ballot drop box from in front of city hall, red flags went up all over the place. First of all, this is obviously a well-choreographed photo...
www.dailykos.com
