MADISON, WI (SPECTRUM NEWS) — More than 2,400 Wisconsin National Guardsmen worked at voting locations across the state on Tuesday.

The guardsmen received their assignments then were given jobs from local clerks. They did things like direct voters, clean booths between uses, and file ballots.

“The national guard has just been an absolute godsend today,” said Tracy Oldenburg, Fitchburg's city clerk.

Fitchburg, like most communities, had a shortage of poll workers. Oldenburg said several of their normal workers are over 70 and could not come work this election.

“So the National Guard has stepped in and been able to help fill those positions for us today, which is wonderful,” she said.

Guardsmen were assigned to their locations, nearly all of them worked in their home county. All but one Wisconsin county had a gaurdsmen working a voting location according to Captain Joe Travato with the Wisconsin National Guard.

Mike Moore, a guardsman working at a Fitchburg voting location, said he understood there was risk amid the coronavirus, but knew he needed to follow orders.

“There's always a concern and a worry, I have a family to go home to, I have kids and what am I going to bring back to my family you know? But at the end of the day though I still have that duty to uphold to the state,” Moore said.

Of the more than 2,400 deployed, about 825 were in the state's six largest counties according to the National Guard. Mid-day Tuesday Travato said bout 250 guardsmen were deployed Dane County, 240 in Milwaukee County, 110 in Brown County, 100 in Waukesha County, 75 in Outagamie County and 50 in Racine County.

“We see this truly as an opportunity of neighbors helping neighbors,” Travato said.

Milwaukee City requested 225 workers, 200 were deployed to help. The city had the largest lines and wait times in the state and had to consolidate polling locations to five for the entire city.

Neil Albrecht, executive director of the Milwaukee Elections Commission, said they found out about the guardsmen available to them over the weekend from a press release. He said if they had known sooner they may have been able to open more locations.

Albrecht also praised the guardsmen on Tuesday, saying they were extremely helpful and prepared.

“[They] really have been extremely valuable to our ability to operate these sites as efficiently as we have,” Albrecht said.

Moore said working at a voting location went well.

“Been able to meet some people and just be able to help the community and let the ones get out to vote that want to vote that can't do the absentees or did not get absentee ballots,” Moore said.