% MILWAUKEE.
% >> THE WISCONSIN ELECTIONS
% COMMISSION THIS WEEK VOTED
% UNANIMOUSLY TO SEND AN EMAIL TO
% LOCAL CLERKS, REMINDING THEM
% THAT FEDERAL AND STATE LAW ALLOW
% PEOPLE TO ASSIST DISABLED PEOPLE
% IN VOTING.
% HOW DOES THAT SQUARE WITH THE
% RECENT STATE SUPREME COURT
% RULING THAT BANNED ABSENTEE
% BALLOT DROPBOXES AND REQUIRES
% VOTERS TO THEMSELVES PUT A
% BALLOT IN THE MAIL OR DELIVER IN
% PERSON?
% AND IS THIS JUST ONE MORE GRAY
% AREA AS NEXT TUESDAY'S PRIMARY
% ELECTION FAST APPROACHES?
% WE CHECK IN WITH THE EXECUTIVE
% DIRECTOR OF THE MILWAUKEE
% ELECTION COMMISSION, CLAIRE
% WOODALL-VOGG, FOR HER TAKE, NOW
% FOUR DAYS UNTIL THE ELECTION.
% THANKS VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
% >> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
% >> SO AS FOR VOTERS WITH A
% DISABILITY, WHAT'S YOUR GUIDANCE
% FOR THEM AND FOR CLERKS WITH
% RETURNING THEIR ABSENTEE
% BALLOTS?%>> SO IN THE CITY OF
MILWAUKEE,
% WE HAVE BEEN VERY CONSISTENT
% EVER SINCE THE SUPREME COURT
% RULING CAME OUT THAT VOTERS WITH
% DISABILITIES DO HAVE FEDERAL
% PROTECTIONS, AND SO IF THEY NEED
% AN AGENT TO RETURN THEIR
% ABSENTEE BALLOT FOR THEM, WE
% HAVE BEEN ACCEPTING IT.
% WE JUST NEED CONFIRMATION THAT
% THEY NEEDED ASSISTANCE RETURNING
% THEIR BALLOT.
% UNFORTUNATELY, THE SUPREME COURT
% RULING LEFT IT VERY GRAY, AND SO
% MANY CLERKS HAVE BEEN LEFT TO
% INTERPRET IT THEMSELVES AND, YOU
% KNOW, THERE'S 1800 CLERKS IN THE
% STATE, SO LUCKILY WITH THE
% WISCONSIN ELECTION COMMISSION
% GUIDANCE AND REMINDER, HOPEFULLY
% ALL CLERKS WILL BE MAKING SURE
% THAT VOTERS WITH DISABILITIES
% ARE PROTECTED.
% >> SO ALSO WHAT ARE CLERKS TO DO
% AFTER VOTES AND RULINGS IN THE
% LEGISLATURE AND THE STATE
% ELECTIONS COMMISSION ABOUT
% FILLING IN MISSING INFORMATION
% ON ABSENTEE BALLOTS?
% >> AGAIN, ANOTHER GRAY AREA
% WHERE CLERKS HAVE BEEN REALLY
% LEFT TO INTERPRET THINGS
% THEMSELVES.
% THE GUIDANCE FROM 2016 THAT THE
% WISCONSIN ELECTION COMMISSION
% ISSUED IS STILL VALID, AND SO IF
% A VOTER'S WITNESS DIDN'T
% COMPLETE THEIR FULL ADDRESS, WE
% SEE A LOT OF TIMES HERE IN
% MILWAUKEE, THEY LEAVE OFF
% MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.%WE HAV
E BEEN CONTACTING VOTERS
% IF WE NEED INFORMATION.
% >> WHAT IS IT LIKE TO HAVE ALL
% OF THESE CHANGES SWIRLING AROUND
% AS YOU'RE READY TO ADMINISTER
% THIS ELECTION?
% >> YOU KNOW, FOR US, WE ARE VERY
% USED TO IT.
% ELECTION ADMINISTRATORS ARE USED
% TO INTERPRETING AND REACTING,
% BUT UNFORTUNATELY FOR WISCONSIN
% VOTERS, IT'S ADDING TO GREATER
% CONFUSION, AND THAT ULTIMATELY
% RESULTS IN MORE DISTRUST OF THE
% PROCESS ITSELF WHEN YOU'RE
% HAVING COURT RULINGS WITHIN 30
% DAYS OF AN ELECTION, WHEN
% ABSENTEE BALLOTS HAD ALREADY
% BEEN MAILED OUT TWO WEEKS BEFORE
% THAT RULING.
% >> YOUR CITY, POLLING PLACES
% LIKE OTHER MUNICIPALITIES ACROSS
% THE STATE TESTED YOUR VOTING
% EQUIPMENT THIS PAST WEEK.
% WERE ANY PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED?
% >> NO, THERE WERE NO PROBLEMS.
% WE TESTED ALL 180 MACHINES HERE
% IN MILWAUKEE, AND THEN WE HELD
% OUR PUBLIC TEST WHERE WE DID
% HAVE ONE MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC
% WHO CAME AND A FEW NEWS MEDIA,
% BUT THERE WERE NO ISSUES.
% OUR MACHINES ARE READING AND
% TRANSMITTING RESULTS EXACTLY AS
% PAPER BALLOTS ARE CAST.
% >> STILL, MILWAUKEE COUNTY HAS
% BEEN SINGLED OUT BY REPUBLICANS
% FOR POTENTIAL FRAUD.
% DOES MILWAUKEE ADMINISTER
% ELECTIONS ANY DIFFERENTLY THAN
% IN THE REST OF THE STATE?
% >> NO.
% YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT'S ONE
% THING TO REALLY HIGHLIGHT, IS
% THAT WE CONTINUE TO BE SINGLED
% OUT BUT WE ARE ADMINISTERING
% ELECTIONS JUST LIKE EVERY OTHER
% MUNICIPALITY, EVERY OTHER COUNTY
% IN THE STATE.
% OUR EQUIPMENT IS USED ELSEWHERE
% IN THE STATE, AND OUR POLICIES
% AND PROCEDURES ARE FOLLOWING
% STATE LAW AND WISCONSIN ELECTION
% COMMISSION GUIDANCE.
% >> FOLLOWING THE 2020 ELECTION,
% YOU WERE THREATENED BY ELECTION
% DENIERS.
% DOES THAT PERSIST?
% >> IT DOES PERSIST
% UNFORTUNATELY.%I THINK THAT I
T WAS ODD THAT WE
% SAW THE GREATEST AMOUNT OF
% THREATS ACTUALLY COME ALMOST A
% YEAR AFTER THE ELECTION, AND
% NEARLY TWO YEARS AFTER THE
% ELECTION, WE ARE STILL SEEING A
% LOT OF ELECTION DENIERS,
% CONSPIRACY THEORISTS THAT I
% BATTLE AND THAT OUR ELECTION
% OFFICIALS, YOU KNOW, ARE
% ANSWERING QUESTIONS THAT ARE
% VERY COMPLICATED ON ELECTION
% DAY, AND WE'VE HAD TO DO
% ADDITIONAL TRAINING TO MAKE SURE
% THAT THEY'RE COMFORTABLE WORKING
% ON ELECTION DAY.
% >> WHAT KINDS OF TRAININGS AND
% PREPARATIONS HAVE YOU MADE WITH
% ANY KIND OF EXPECTATION OF
% CONTINUING THREATS TO ELECTION
% OFFICIALS?%>> SO JUST THIS SU
MMER, WE
% TRAINED ALL OF OUR CHIEF
% ELECTION INSPECTORS ON MANAGING
% AND MAINTAINING CONTROL OF THE
% POLLING PLACE, DE-ESCALATION
% TECHNIQUES AND REALLY TRYING TO
% PREVENT ANYTHING FROM BECOMING A
% POTENTIAL VIOLENT SITUATION,
% TRYING TO KIND OF NIP IT IN THE
% BUD BEFORE IT WOULD ESCALATE TO
% THAT POINT, AND REALLY GOING
% OVER THE POLLING PLACE
% PROCEDURES IN CASE YOU NEED TO
% REMOVE SOMEONE.
% >> HAVE YOU LOST A NUMBER OF
% PEOPLE WORKING AT THE POLLING
% PLACES BECAUSE OF ALL THIS?
% >> YOU KNOW, TO OUR KNOWLEDGE,
% WE HAVEN'T.
% I THINK MOST OF OUR ELECTION
% OFFICIALS REALLY FEEL LIKE THIS
% IS A CIVIC DUTY, AND YOU KNOW,
% FEEL LIKE IF THEY WERE TO
% ABANDON THEIR CIVIC DUTY, THAT
% THAT WOULD BE A GREATER THREAT
% TO DEMOCRACY.
% BUT IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO US
% THAT WE MAKE SURE THEY FEEL
% EQUIPPED TO GO TO WORK ON
% ELECTION DAY AND FEEL SAFE DOING
% SO.%>> JUST WITH ABOUT A MIN
UTE
% LEFT, WHAT CONCERN DO YOU HAVE
% THAT PEOPLE MAY HAVE TRIED TO
% ILLEGALLY TEST THE ONLINE
% ABSENTEE BALLOT REQUEST PROCESS,
% LIKE THOSE PEOPLE IN RACINE WHO
% ARE NOW UNDER INVESTIGATION?
% >> YOU KNOW, BEFORE THEY WERE
% TRYING TO HIGHLIGHT AND TEST IT
% AND DID SO ILLEGALLY, WE HAVE
% NOT SEEN ANY EVIDENCE OF ANY
% TYPE OF WIDESPREAD USE OR ABUSE
% OF THE ONLINE SYSTEM.
% WE MONITOR AND SEE IF THERE'S
% ANY TYPE OF UNUSUAL MAILING
% ADDRESS BEING REQUESTED, VOTERS
% HAD TO SUBMIT PHOTO ID UNLESS
% THEY'RE INDEFINITELY CONFINED,
% AND I WOULD JUST SAY AS A
% REMINDER, THAT'S A FELONY, IT IS
% VOTER FRAUD TO ABUSE THE SYSTEM,
% AND WE TAKE THAT VERY SERIOUSLY
% AND ANYTHING THAT WE SEE, WE
% REFER TO THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S
% OFFICE.%>> ALL RIGHT.
% WELL, WE WISH YOU LUCK WITH THIS
% PRIMARY ELECTION UPCOMING AND
% WITH THE GENERAL ELECTION,