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 HAVE 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 IT 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 SUMMER, 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 MINUTE
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,