Although I very much enjoy voting in person, I’ve given thought this election cycle to receiving a mail-in ballot and dropping the completed ballot at my municipal clerk’s office or drop box. Like most people, I wasn’t certain how to hunt down the proper forms to get the ball(ot) rolling.
This week, via the good efforts of the USPS, I received in my mail an absentee ballot request form from the Center for Voter Information, a nonprofit and nonpartisan group headquartered in DC area with a branch in Madison. The form had my name and address preprinted and had a separate page with instructions to include a photo of my driver’s license (or other acceptable ID.) I googled the group to satisfy myself that they were legit, and I googled the absentee ballot form number to confirm it was a legit form for use in Wisconsin. The form is in the mailbox now, awaiting the always reliable USPS to pickup and deliver this valuable instrument of democracy. Return postage is prepaid!
I also wanted to go through the steps to become a poll worker for this and subsequent elections. Our county Dem party newsletter had some contact information. This week I sat through a statewide Zoom conference call with a Democratic staffer tasked with recruiting poll workers. The presentation took about 45 minutes and served as an introduction to working the polls. The presenter had PDF files with phone numbers and email addresses to all municipal clerks in the state. During the Zoom meeting, we all emailed our respective clerks indicating interest in poll worker training. The Dems even have a web site with a checklist for me to follow as I complete training. If my smaller village doesn’t need additional poll workers, I’ll check with the Green Bay clerk. A trained poll worker can serve in any town or village within his/her county of residence.
As critically, volunteers may be needed to help clerks send out mail-in ballots by stuffing envelopes and assistance may be needed on election day to open envelopes and other tasks.
A tip o’ the hat to my county and state Democratic Party for their well coordinated efforts to provide sufficient poll workers and increase the use of mail-in ballots. It seems my preferred political party seeks to expand the vote to all eligible citizens!
