Johnsonville Tailgate Village (PHOTO: Midwest Communications Inc.)
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — For the first time, the City of Green Bay is looking to have early, in-person absentee voting locations beyond City Hall.
It comes with two months until the primary election, and less than five months before the general election.
The Johnsonville Tailgate Village at Lambeau Field and St. Bernard Church are being pitched as two additional locations for in-person absentee voting in Green Bay.
“We’re expecting even more turnout with the result of both major parties kind of pushing their voters to vote early,” said Green Bay Mayor Eric Genrich.
Genrich says the decision to add locations is from City Clerk Celestine Jeffreys, but is one he has long thought would be beneficial.
“No additional funds are needed to the Clerk’s budget to implement added early vote locations, feel free to come to the meeting (Tuesday night) for any additional information,” Green Bay Mayor Chief of Staff Amaad Rivera-Wagner said in an e-mail.
The city budgeted $520,313 for elections this year. That is up about 55% compared to the $334,320 budgeted the last Presidential election year in 2020.
“If we can add some locations where there is someone supervising it properly and that it’s something no one is going to question in the future, I think it is a good idea to add a few,” said Green Bay Alderperson Bill Morgan. “I just want to see how it’s done and who is going to actively be in charge of everything.”
Morgan acknowledges the questions people have had in the past about Green Bay’s elections and his desire to not create any new ones.
At the start of the pandemic, the city consolidated poll locations to two, creating waits up to several hours to vote. The city also accepted Mark Zuckerburg-funded help to administer the 2020 Presidential election.
Since then, the Wisconsin Supreme Court barred the use of absentee ballot drop boxes. However, the court, which now leans liberal, is in the process of issuing a ruling that could make the drop boxes legal again.
“I definitely didn’t like the idea of the ballot boxes,” said Morgan. “I do believe we need to have someone watching what we do also.”
Genrich was asked if the extra early voting locations are a substitute for the ballot drop boxes.
“It’s really offering people additional opportunities to vote,” said Genrich. “I personally think Democracies operate best when you have full participation or as close to full participation among those who are eligible, and this just allows us to get closer to that.”
Genrich was also asked if he thinks this will be a political issue when the city council discusses it.
“It’s hard to say what’s going to be a quote-on-quote political issue or not, but I think we’re going to have a strong majority of our council who appreciates these additional opportunities,” said Genrich.
The council will take up a resolution to add the new early voting locations at its meeting on Tuesday.
In-person absentee voting starts on July 30th and runs through August 10th for the primary and October 22nd through November 3rd for the general election.
Comments