Gov. Tony Evers called for a Wausau absentee ballot drop box to be “restored immediately” after the mayor generated national attention for donning a hard hat and work vest to remove it from outside City Hall and place it in his office.
Meanwhile, the city clerk has referred the issue to the Marathon County DA, and the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign’s executive director called for Mayor Doug Diny to be held accountable.
“This is wrong. Drop box voting is safe, secure, and legal,” Evers posted on X Thursday. “As elected officials, we should be working to make it easier—not harder—for every eligible Wisconsinite to cast their ballot. That’s democracy.”
Diny, who was elected this spring, didn’t immediately return a call today from WisPolitics seeking comment. Marathon County DA Theresa Wetzsteon didn’t immediately respond to an email submitted through her office’s website.
Wausau Clerk Kaitlyn Bernarde said in a release that voters wishing to return their absentee ballots to the city clerk can now do so through a payment box in front of City Hall.
Bernarde said the drop box Diny removed from the front of City Hall wasn’t yet functional. It was locked and was labeled “closed.” She said once it was properly relabeled as an official drop box, she planned to secure it to the ground and begin accepting absentee ballots.
Bernarde said she reported “an election irregularity” to the DA and the Elections Commission.
An Elections Commission spokesperson said the notification is part of the process of reporting an election issue to a local DA and the state agency is not conducting an investigation of its own.
Meanwhile, Wisconsin Democracy Campaign Executive Director Nick Ramos told a Madison news conference Diny must be held accountable. Ramos said he would watch how the Marathon County DA handles the complaint while suggesting there may be a need to go to the state or U.S. departments of Justice.
“We cannot continue to allow bad actors to continue to think that their behavior is acceptable,” he said.
