For the 2016 presidential election, the city of Madison has historically expanded access to early and in-person absentee voting.
In expanding voting opportunities so rapidly, however, city officials have voiced their concerns about not having enough resources at the polls.
Madison to expand early, in-person absentee voting sites across the city
While Mayor Paul Soglin said he had no regrets in moving forward with the expansion, he expressed at a Tuesday evening Board of Estimates meeting that City Council may have moved too fast with the proposal.
“The problem is going into uncharted water in a fast moving stream,” Soglin said. “We knew what we wanted to accomplish, but we didn’t have all the resources to go about it.”
The resources Soglin referred to are the lack of poll workers and staff members in the City Clerk’s Office. With a large number of people voting early and casting absentee ballots, limited staffing creates a build-up of unprocessed ballots, City Clerk Maribeth Witzel-Behl said.
Currently, Witzel-Behl said her office is sitting on 350 absentee ballot requests.
“Enacting accessibility to the vote is good, but it also leaves us in a situation where we’re finding that cost as we go,” Soglin said. “Adjustments will be made as we learn from this experience.”
Some financial adjustments have already been made in advance.
Moving into next year, Soglin’s 2017 operating budget will feature a reduction in the election costs to reflect the election cycle. Soglin wanted to make it clear that the reduction is not a result of budget cuts, rather due to a rebasing for the fact that there are less elections next year.
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A presidential election year is the most expensive, Soglin said, while an odd year where there is no mayoral race, and only city council elections is the cheapest. In 2017, only City Council races will occur.
As the city moves closer to the general election, Laura Larsen, the budget manager for the city’s Finance Department, said they’re looking for volunteers — specifically college students — to help out at the polls on Election Day.
It’s very simple to become a poll worker, Larsen said. If someone is interested in becoming one, they can apply online. There will be special training prior to the general election, she added.
On Election Day, Witzel-Behl anticipates about about 3,000 people working at the polls. As of now, she said at least 2,400 have signed up.
The City Clerk’s office has set a goal to ensure nobody has to wait more than 15 minutes to cast their ballot.
“One of our goals is to have city-wide polling places that will reflect the community,” Witzel-Beth said. “It’s important to know you don’t have to be at retirement to work [at the polls], we’d love to have college students too.”
