A new ballot box complaint filing and other news tidbits to start your week
A new ballot box complaint, an update on possible elementary school closings and news about the county cleaning up a shuttered mobile home park
There have been a number of stories I’ve been trying to get to this week. Some of them deserve more than a quick note in the Weekly Wausonian, but I don’t have time to get to them individually in their own posts.
So here are a few things going on to start your week.
A new Wausau ballot box controversy complaint
Last week we wrote about Mayor Diny confirming, from our questioning, that the Federalist story about the DOJ raid on his home and office is true. Agents simultaneously searched his home and office. Diny was at the office, his wife was at home.
That’s part of an investigation into his handling of Wausau’s absentee ballot box (a story The Wausonian broke, by the way).
The Wausonian just learned of a new complaint filed with the Wisconsin Election Commission. This one comes from conservatives who are not happy with how Wausau City Clerk Kaitlyn Bernarde handled the ballot box herself.
The bulk of the complaint concerns a letter that The Wausonian received also, and that was read at city council. The complaint, filed by Steve and Marie Schmidt, essentially accused the clerk of not following best practices laid out by the Wisconsin Election Administration Manual for Wisconsin Municipal Clerks.
Some examples of best practices they allege the clerk didn’t follow (which The Wausonian previously reported):
Point No. 1: The slot of the drop box be appropriately sized so that only an absentee ballot can be deposited and not other objects or liquids.
Point No. 2: Any damage to or tampering with the drop box be documented and the drop box be inspected to ensure that it remains secure for the purpose of depositing absentee ballot envelopes.
Point No. 3: The drop box be clearly marked or labeled that the drop box is for the purpose of collecting absentee ballots in return envelopes.
Point No. 4: The time of final retrieval of ballot return envelopes be clearly marked on or near the drop box. After the time of final retrieval, the drop box be secured to prevent the submission of absentee ballot return envelopes.
The complaint was filed on Wednesday. The Wausonian will watch for the response.
Wausau elementary schools are likely to close
I really wanted to do a full story on this but it’s a little underbaked at this point.
But essentially, the Wausau School District is likely going to be closing at least two elementary schools and possibly more.
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