Washington County is putting six figures behind a new election integrity effort.
That includes video surveillance for ballot drop boxes, expanded absentee voting hours, and an Election Night audit.
“I think it’s Important to put-in safeguards that create integrity in the system, and build trust again,” Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann said. “That's not a political issue. That’s not a partisan issue. It's a social issue. It's a human issue. And I think this is one important thing for us to do with the foundation of our democracy, and that is that vote.”
Schoemann said some voters continue to distrust Wisconsin’s electoral system, specifically ballot drop boxes.
“People just don't trust anymore. They don't trust the institutions, they don't trust one another, and so anytime there's an opportunity for some shenanigans, people start to get concerned,” Schoemann explained. “And of course, watching what happened in 2020 when Democrats played all these games with democracy in the park, indefinitely confined [voters], and not purging voter rolls. It just adds to this lack of trust amongst one one another.”
Washington County’s board last week approved $3,000 for ballot drop box security cameras. But Schoemann said the county is ready to spend another $150,000 on its full election integrity effort.
“Take money off the table,” Schoeman said of the idea behind the election integrity spending. “Money is not going to be the thing that holds you back from additional in-person absentee hours. It's not going to be the thing that holds you back from putting the camera on that ballot drop box. It's not going to be the thing that holds me back from auditing the Election Night results. So that's exactly what all of our packages intended to do.”
Schoemann added that spending $150,000 out of a $150 million county budget on election peace of mind is worth it.
There was some opposition to Washington County’s new election integrity focus. He said local Democrats questioned the need for the added election security.
“What we have heard from the handful is ‘These are ridiculous extra efforts that the county is doing. Why are we wasting this $150,000 there isn't an election Integrity issue.’,” Schoemann said. “What's not to like? You're getting what you want with the ballot drop boxes, we're getting what we want with security. How can you say no to that? Same thing with the election night audits. You're getting what you want, where you can vote anyway you wish. We're getting what we want, and making sure those machines are consistent with what is on the actual ballot itself.”
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