Wausau Mayor Doug Diny made a daring transfer on Sunday, taking issues into his personal palms and bodily eradicating an absentee poll drop field from outdoors Metropolis Corridor.
Diny donned work gloves and a tough hat as he carted away the unsecured drop field on a dolly, guaranteeing its security till the town council may make an official resolution, AP reported.
Whereas liberal critics screamed “voter suppression,” Diny stood agency, insisting that his actions have been supposed to guard the voting course of from potential abuse.
“That is no completely different than the upkeep man transferring it on the market,” Diny mentioned, dismissing the overblown accusations of voter interference.
“I’m a member of employees. There’s nothing nefarious happening right here. I’m hoping for a superb end result.”
“My place is that this metropolis doesn’t want one,” he mentioned.
The Washington Put up reported:
The transfer by Wausau Mayor Doug Diny got here as officers across the battleground state wrestle with whether or not to make use of drop packing containers after the state Supreme Court docket this summer time gave them that means. Officers in Milwaukee, Madison and different Democratic strongholds have embraced them, whereas their counterparts in a few of Milwaukee’s suburbs and different Republican areas have banned them.
Nowhere has the dispute been extra distinguished than Wausau, a metropolis of 40,000 folks within the coronary heart of the state. The mayor, who was elected within the spring with the assistance of the Republican Get together, mentioned he moved the drop field to his workplace Sunday as a result of he believed the town council ought to determine whether or not the town ought to use it.
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The Wausau Pilot & Assessment earlier reported on the removing of the drop field. Diny gave the publication a photograph of him wheeling it away and mentioned he didn’t imagine he had performed something unlawful.
Clerks in Wisconsin have despatched greater than 410,000 absentee ballots since mail voting started final week, and voters can return them by mail, at clerk’s places of work or to drop packing containers.
The Wausau drop field was positioned outdoors of metropolis corridor late final week, and the clerk deliberate to have it secured to the bottom in order that it may very well be used beginning Monday, based on metropolis officers. It was locked, and voters couldn’t place ballots inside whereas it was awaiting set up, Metropolis Clerk Kaitlyn Bernarde mentioned.
Bernarde mentioned she found the drop field was lacking Monday and reported the matter to Marathon County District Lawyer Theresa Wetzsteon (D), who mentioned Wednesday that she has launched an investigation. The drop field won’t be used for now, however voters can return ballots in a separate field usually used for funds to the town authorities, Bernarde mentioned.
