WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — Mayor Doug Diny took it upon himself to remove the city’s ballot dropbox on Sunday, saying the box wasn’t properly secured.
“It was sitting on the sidewalk and it was not secured,” said Diny. “I wheeled it up to my office to put it in a safe place. Because what if it had been taken and thrown in the river? What if it would have been stolen? It never left [City Hall.]”
Diny says he noticed the box as he was getting some work done on Sunday at City Hall and took a photo of himself in a Public Works hat and vest while he used a two-wheel cart to move it inside. He says the whole situation caught him off guard. “Nobody told me it was going out there, and the security concerns that I had given were not addressed.”
The box is currently sitting in his office.
He knows he doesn’t have the final say in the box’s fate but he would still like to see more public comment on the issue, possibly at the Council or Committee level. “It’s an option. And what is interesting is Council members are indicating that I don’t have a say and it’s completely up to Clerk [Kaitlyn Bernarde]. Yet, they want to have a say. It’s inconsistent. I believe residents deserve to be heard on this.
“If it goes one way or the other, it’s not my position to put my foot on the scale. If they determine to put it out there, it goes out there,” added Diny.
Diny notes that he has not talked to Bernarde about the issue since last Thursday but does plan to meet with her to discuss the security issues. He also says he would like to see a security camera that is accessible 24/7 to anyone.
Protesters outside City Hall in Wausau. MWC photo by Mike Leischner
The incident prompted a protest outside City Hall on Tuesday evening before a regularly scheduled City Council meeting. About two dozen people showed up, calling for the box to be returned to its post. None of the protesters gave public comment during Tuesday’s meeting.
In a statement to Wausau Pilot and Review Diny also noted that there are no shortage of ways to return your absentee ballot including through the mail. In-person, absentee voting will also begin one month from now at City Hall with some Saturday options including from 8 AM to Noon on November 2nd. There will also be curbside voting and ballots can be dropped off in person at City Hall during business hours and up until 8 PM on Election Day, November 5th.
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