GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) — Green Bay Mayor Eric Genrich says he doesn’t anticipate seeing the same problems next Tuesday as the city had during the April election.
The April Election saw lines stretching into the four hour range at the two open polling locations in Green Bay. Genrich says the number of poll workers available has significantly improved.
“In the number of months that we had to prepare for the election, we feel like we’re a very good place with respect to election day workers,” Genrich told WTAQ’s ‘The Morning News with Matt and Earl’. “Right now, we’re in the neighborhood of around 550 [workers]”
Another issue during the April election was the consolidation of polling places. That, too, is improving next week with 16 polling places open, and while that’s fewer than a typical year, Genrich isn’t worried.
“The fact that we’ve had so much absentee and early voting is really going to relieve the pressure on election day,” said Genrich.
The city has received over 21,000 absentee ballots out of over 55,000 registered voters.
Genrich took particular heat following the April election in Green Bay, which drew national attention for its long wait times during the early weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic. Genrich and city clerk Kris Teske were criticized for refusing the help of trained National Guard workers at the polls, which other cities utilized.
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