MADISON, Wis. — Earlier this week, a ballot drop box in Wausau was put back in its spot after it was controversially removed by the city’s mayor last month.
However, some citizens are still concerned and now hope to bring forward an investigation.
Voters from Wausau made the two-hour trip down to Madison on Wednesday to voice their concerns at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Wisconsin as they asked for a formal federal investigation into the incident.
Now, a two-page citizen’s complaint is in the hands of U.S. Attorney Timothy O’Shea, as residents unexpectedly got to personally deliver it to him.
The controversy started last month when Wausau Mayor Doug Diny shared a photo of himself removing the drop box.
Though Diny and the city clerk both said the drop box was locked, and no ballots were in it at the time, some local residents aren’t happy.
“I think what’s really crushing for me is, again, the photo opp,” Kay Palmer of Wausau explained. “When we look at how ballot boxes came to be, it was a function of people not having confidence in their mailed in ballots being counted appropriately, so we had the ballot boxes created as a function of building confidence in people’s ability to vote. So, when we have our mayor, who’s removing the ballot box, we’re now eroding the confidence that people have.”
Diny insists he did nothing wrong and defended his decision in a statement to media that said the city clerk “is out of her lane” and that he wants the full city council to discuss drop box use. The move would be similar to the cities of New Berlin and Brookfield in Waukesha County, both of which decided to not to use them.
As of Monday, the drop box was back in place and ready to use.
Wausau City Clerk Kaitlyn Bernarde released a statement, which read, in part, “The drop box has been re-labeled for use and is secured to the ground, in accordance with guidelines from the Wisconsin Elections Commission and the United States Election Assistance Commission.”
Back in July, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled that drop boxes are legal, and that it’s up to local clerks to decide whether to make one available.
“We just feel nobody is above the law and that this needs to be, the ballot box has been put back, but he has no legal right to do this or pursue this any further,” Nancy Stencil, an activist from Wausau, said.
Wednesday’s citizen’s complaint isn’t the only investigation that has been requested. The Marathon County District Attorney has already asked for an investigation from the state Department of Justice.