SUCCESS AND WHAT THAT MEANS. >> IN MORE ELECTION NEWS, THEY
SHOULD JUST COUNT THEIR BALLOTS FASTER.
THAT'S THE SENTIMENT OF THE WISCONSIN SENATE MAJORITY LEADER
IN EXPLAINING HOW HIS CHAMBER DOES NOT HAVE THE VOTES TO PASS
A BILL THAT WOULD ALLOW MUNICIPALITIES TO COUNT ABSENTEE
BALLOTS THE DAY BEFORE AN ELECTION AND REQUIRE IT IN
MILWAUKEE, ESPECIALLY SINCE THE PANDEMIC, EARLY ABSENTEE VOTING
HAS BEEN ON THE RISE, LEAVING ELECTION CLERKS SOMETIMES
SWAMPED WITH OPENING ENVELOPES WELL INTO THE NIGHT.
THAT CAN CAUSE SWINGS IN RESULTS LIKE WHAT HAPPENED IN 2020 WHEN
DONALD TRUMP FALSELY CLAIMED VOTE DUMPING IN MILWAUKEE.
FOR AN ELECTION CLERK'S TAKE ON THIS, WE TURN TO LEA LISA TOLLE.
WHAT KIND OF INCREASES HAVE YOU SEEN IN ABSENTEE VOTING?
>> SO IN 2020, WE HAD 60% OF OUR POPULATION VOTED ABSENTEE.
PRIOR TO THAT, IT WAS 20 TO 25%. IT HAS NOT GONE DOWN TO THAT
RATE OF 20, 25%. I'M EXPECTING TO SEE A LOT MORE
IN THIS COMING UP ELECTION AND IN NOVEMBER.
WE MIGHT NOT REACH 60%, BUT IT'S GOING TO BE DEFINITELY HIGHER
THAN IN THE PAST. >> SO WHAT DO THOSE KINDS OF
NUMBERS MEAN ON ELECTION DAY AS FAR AS COUNTING THE RESULTS?
>> SO ABSENTEE BALLOTS TAKE A LOT MORE TIME TO PROCESS.
YOU'RE HAVING TWO PEOPLE REVIEW EVERYTHING.
LOG IT. THERE'S A WHOLE PROCESS THAT'S
AN EXTRA STEP THROUGHOUT, AND ALL OF THAT TAKES TIME, AND YOU
DON'T WANT ANYONE TO RUSH. YOU WANT THEM TO BE ACCURATE AS
POSSIBLE. WHEN PEOPLE COME IN TO VOTE IN
PERSON, THEY'RE DOING ALL THAT WORK FOR YOU.
THEY SIGN THE POLL BOOK, THEY GIVE THEM A NUMBER, THEY GET
THEIR BALLOT, THEY PUT IT IN THE MACHINE.
YOUR ABSENTEES, YOU HAVE TWO PEOPLE DOING ALL THAT WORK FOR
THAT VOTER. IT TAKES A LOT OF TIME.
>> AND SO KIND OF THE INCREASE AND THE CRUSH OF THIS IS NOT
JUST DIFFICULT FOR LOCATIONS LIKE MILWAUKEE?
>> NO. IT INCREASES FOR EVERYONE.
EVERYONE EITHER HAS MORE POLL WORKERS ON.
WE HAVE MUNICIPALITIES BUY EXTRA MACHINES JUST TO HANDLE THAT
EXTRA VOLUME TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY COULD GET THEM PROCESSED.
YOU CAN'T EXPECT SOMETHING THAT TAKES LONGER TO DO IN THE SAME
AMOUNT OF TIME THAT YOU ALREADY HAVE.
YOU CAN'T DOUBLE YOUR TIME. IT DOESN'T WORK.
>> WHAT WOULD IT MEAN, THEN, TO BE ABLE TO BE COUNT ABSENTEE
BALLOTS THE DAY BEFORE THE ELECTION?
>> SO THERE'S A COUPLE OF ADVANTAGES, IS THAT YOU CAN GET
THOSE BALLOTS DONE AND YOU CAN TAKE YOUR TIME TO MAKE SURE
EVERYTHING'S PROCESSED AND DOUBLE-CHECKED.
DO ARE THE REMAINING OR JUST THE ONES THAT COME IN ON ELECTION
DAY AND THEN YOU CAN FOCUS ON TAKING CARE OF THOSE VOTERS THAT
COME INTO THE POLLS ON ELECTION DAY.
IS THE BIGGEST PLUS. IF YOU CAN GET EVERYTHING DONE
AS CLOSE TO 8:00 AS POSSIBLE, ALL THE RESULTS COME IN EARLY,
THERE'S NOT AS MUCH CONFUSION AND IT'S A LOT CLEARER AS TO THE
RESULTS BEFORE THOSE MANY, MANY PEOPLE GO TO BED BEFORE IT'S
FINISHED ON ELECTION NIGHT. >> CAN YOU IMAGINE HOW THERE
WOULD BE ANY ISSUE WITH ELECTION INTEGRITY IF THESE BALLOTS WERE
COUNTED THE DAY BEFORE? >> THERE ARE SO MANY SECURITY
IECES IN THIS, AND IN OUR WHOLE SYSTEM, WE LOCK EVERYTHING DOWN.
THERE ARE SECURITY SEALS. EVERYTHING HAS A CHECK AND
BALANCE THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE SYSTEM.
IT'S IN OUR SYSTEM. IT'S IN PLACE WITH THIS NEW
BILL. THIS WOULD -- I DON'T SEE THAT
AS BEING THE ISSUE. EVERY BALLOT, EVERY ABSENTEE
BALLOT IS TRACKED THE ENTIRE WAY THROUGH THE SYSTEM, WHEN IT'S
ISSUED, WHEN IT'S MAILED, WHEN IT'S RECEIVED, WHEN IT'S
COUNTED. EVERYTHING IS TRACKED.
>> SO INTERESTINGLY, THE REPUBLICAN PARTY OF WISCONSIN IS
NOW ENCOURAGING EARLY ABSENTEE VOTING, CALLING IT BANKING YOUR
VOTE. MORE INTEREST IN THIS FOR THE
NOVEMBER ELECTION BECAUSE OF >> ABSOLUTELY. THAT?-
I AM DEFINITELY ORDERING MORE ABSENTEE BALLOTS SO WE'RE READY
TO GO. >> WHAT ELSE ARE CLERKS KIND OF
DEALING WITH THIS ELECTION CYCLE?
>> WE ARE LOOKING AT ALL DIFFERENT THINGS.
YOU'RE LOOKING AT A.I.. WHAT HAPPENS IF WE GET SOME --
THAT ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE COULD GET SOME MESSAGING THAT
COULD BE CONFUSING. WE ARE LOOKING AT SAFETY
PROTOCOLS WE'VE NEVER LOOKED AT BEFORE TO MAKE SURE EVERYTHING
IS SAFE FOR OUR VOTERS AND OUR POLL WORKERS.
THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS IN THE BACKGROUND WE ARE PREPPING FOR
TO MAKE SURE WE'RE READY. >> WHAT ARE THOSE KIND OF SAFETY
PROTOCOLS THAT YOU'VE NEVER DONE BEFORE THAT YOU'RE NOW DOING?
>> LOTS OF CONTINGENCY PLANS. LOTS OF CONTINGENCY PLANS.
AND SOME OF THEM, I DON'T LIKE TO TALK ABOUT SO EVERYONE KNOWS
WHAT THEY ARE, BUT MAKING SURE THAT IF WE NEED TO MOVE, IF WE
NEED TO SECURE SOMETHING DIFFERENTLY, THERE'S -- THERE'S
PIECES THERE THAT WE ARE DEFINITELY PREPPING FOR TO MAKE
SURE WE'RE READY. >> WHAT ABOUT STAFFING?
IS THAT AN ISSUE? I MEAN, IT'S AN ISSUE FOR
EVERYONE EVERYWHERE. RIGHT?
OTHER CLERKS? >> I DON'T SEE IT RIGHT NOW, BUT
I HAVE A FEELING AS WE GO CLOSER TO NOVEMBER AND WE SEE A LOT
MORE ABSENTEE BALLOTS, WE'RE GOING TO NEED MORE STAFF.
AND EVERYWHERE, WE'RE HAVING TROUBLE HIRING.
WE NEED MORE PEOPLE TO STEP FORWARD TO HELP.
SO ANYONE TO THINK ABOUT IT, MORE ABSENTEE MEANS MORE WORK,
MORE CHECKS AND BALANCES THAT NEED TO GO THROUGH EVERY ONE OF
THOSE ABSENTEE BALLOTS. >> ALL RIGHT.
WELL, WE WISH YOU AND OTHERS WELL, WE WISH YOU AND OTHERS