Wisconsin's County and Municipal Clerks Keep the Wheels of Democracy Turning

Wednesday, July 3rd, 2024 -- 11:00 AM

(Anya van Wagtendonk) When around three million Wisconsin voters cast ballots in a November election that could again decide the future of the country, it will be a handful of people, Wisconsin’s county and municipal clerks, who keep the wheels of democracy turning.

According to Anya van Wagtendonk with Wisconsin Public Radio, Wisconsin, where four of the last six presidential races have been decided by less than a percentage point, is one of a handful of swing states expected to decide whether President Joe Biden or former President Donald Trump returns to the White House.

Since 2020, its elections have been under intense scrutiny. New laws, court cases that could again change how people vote absentee, and recent changes to the state constitution mean that the minute details of election administration are seemingly always in flux.

In Wisconsin’s decentralized administrative system, clerks, from the largest cities to the smallest towns, are charged with staying on top of an ever-changing system and getting a ballot into voter’s hands.

They’ve also become the face of a system that some portion of voters still don’t trust, four years after a concerted and ongoing effort to undermine faith in an election that saw Trump narrowly lose to Biden.

Facing harassment and barraged with misinformation, many have stepped away from election work. Despite the challenges, new clerks have filled their shoes. While county clerks are partisan, municipal clerks are not.

They’re hired civil servants who also do things like take meeting minutes and coordinate local liquor licensing. Some have deputies and extra staff. Some are just part-time employees. Some are in a hybrid role that also includes being their community’s treasurer.

All are juggling competing community needs, a packed election calendar and an ever-changing legal landscape as they prepare for an August statewide primary and a closely watched national election in November.

“They’re under more scrutiny in a presidential race, when Wisconsin will be one of the key swing states in the Electoral College,” said Barry Burden, who directs the Election Research Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

“An error, a small mistake, or a delay caused by a clerk can lead to suspicion or misinformation or even conspiracies about something that’s going wrong in the election.”

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