Stevens Point City Hall. MWC file photo by Mike Leischner
STEVENS POINT, WI (WSAU) — After many people waited hours to vote in Tuesday’s Midterm Election, leaders in Stevens Point are asking for additional voting equipment.
Mayor Mike Wiza and Clerk Susan Pagel are asking for six additional Badger Books, the electronic poll books used by many municipalities to check in existing voters and register new ones on Election Day.
“The exceptional turnout in the recent election caused lines and wait times that many would consider as too long. One improvement we can make is to have additional Badger Books available for larger elections. Those additional machines can be used where needed to help streamline the in-person voting process”, said Mayor Mike Wiza, “There will likely be some staffing additions, and hopefully some changes at the State level to allow municipalities to have In-Person Absentee Voting in a second location, other than City Hall.”
Some polling locations saw wait times of up to three hours during Tuesday’s election. Clerk Pagel says the additional Badger Books could be spread across all six polling places as needed to help speed registration and ballot distribution during large elections. She adds that the city will continue to provide options like in-person, absentee voting to help ease the Election Day pressure.
Badger Book is a secure, electronic poll book (e-poll book) used in Wisconsin elections to modernize the voting process. These devices replace paper poll books to check in voters, process same-day registrations, and record absentee ballots. They are not connected to the internet, ensuring voter data security.
The Finance Committee will hear the request on Monday. If passed, the matter would go to the full City Council later this month.
Comments