Despite multiple lawsuits and attempts by Gov. Tony Evers to move Wisconsin’s election, voting went on as scheduled Tuesday during the coronavirus pandemic. Thousands of people stood in line – some of them for hours – at five polling places throughout Milwaukee, waiting for their chance to vote.
City leaders say as a result of court rulings about 750 absentee ballots won’t count because they don’t have a witness signature. Despite these issues, Milwaukee’s top election official says things ran smoothly.
Milwaukee Election Commissioner Neil Albrecht spoke to WUWM Tuesday just before the polls closed at 8 p.m. Under the unprecedented circumstances, he said he couldn’t be prouder of the professionalism the poll workers displayed.
Albrecht thanked the voters too for their resolve: “I’m very grateful to the public for the perseverance and the patience that they have shown for this election. I think it speaks well to the dedication of Milwaukee’s residents to really overcome some significant barriers."
And, he also thanked the 170 members of the National Guard who assisted at Milwaukee's polling places. Albrecht said about 30 Guard members staffed each of the five sites, plus another group helped at what he called the “central counting” site.
