DOJ to monitor polls in 4 Wisconsin communities through Election Day

 

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Friday it will be monitoring how four Wisconsin communities conduct the November election. 

A release from the DOJ listed 86 communities across 27 states where civil rights personnel will be watching to make sure there aren't violations of federal voting rights laws.

The four Wisconsin communities are the city of Milwaukee, Wausau in the central part of the state and the small towns of Lawrence and Thornapple in Rusk County, near the Twin Cities.

It's not unusual for the DOJ to have monitors keeping their eyes on Milwaukee. The list of communities the DOJ is watching this year includes other major cities in swing states, such as Atlanta and Detroit.

In Wausau, state investigators opened a case earlier this fall when Mayor Doug Diny took it upon himself to remove the city's only drop box. While more than 60 Wisconsin municipalities have opted against allowing drop boxes this year, the Wisconsin DOJ acted because Diny removed Wausau's drop box without the approval of the city clerk or council. 

Diny has since turned the drop box back over to Wausau's clerk, who reinstalled the drop box and bolted it into the ground.

The towns of Lawrence and Thornapple drew the attention of federal investigators when they refused to allow the use of electronic voting machines.

Accessible machines used by voters with disabilities are electronic, and the DOJ sued both communities in September. Federal authorities alleged the towns had violated the Help America Vote Act.

Shortly thereafter, the DOJ announced it had reached an agreement with Lawrence to ensure there would be accommodations for voters with disabilities. In early October, a federal court ordered Thornapple to provide an accessible voting machine.