The mayor of a central Wisconsin city who ran for office on his opposition to absentee ballot drop boxes says he did nothing wrong when he removed a drop box outside City Hall.

The mayor of a central Wisconsin city who ran for office on his opposition to absentee ballot drop boxes said Wednesday he did nothing wrong when he put on work gloves, donned a hard hat and used a dolly to cart away a drop box outside City Hall.

Wausau Mayor Doug Diny posed for a picture Sunday to memorialize his removal of the city’s lone drop box that had been put outside City Hall around the same time late last week that absentee ballots were sent to voters. The city’s election clerk, Kaitlyn Bernarde, said she has reported the issue to the Marathon County district attorney a well as the state elections commission.

“This is no different than the maintenance guy moving it out there,” Diny said Wednesday. “I’m a member of staff. There’s nothing nefarious going on here. I’m hoping for a good result.”

The move, which sparked a protest in the city Tuesday night and anger among drop box advocates, is the latest example in swing state Wisconsin of the fight over whether communities will allow absentee ballot drop boxes.

🗳️ Register to vote: https://vote.gov/

    • n1ckn4m3@lemmy.worldEnglish
      23·
      2 months ago

      That’s the whole goal this election. The conservatives are going to interfere with the election in as many places as they possibly can. All of the chaos they create they’ll then leverage to refuse to certify the election, then they’ll move proceed with a contigent election because the chaos they’ve created means we don’t have enough actual electoral votes to complete the election, then they’ll all vote Trump, and then someone who lost the electoral college and the popular vote will have stolen the election.

      We’re absolutely fucked.

      EDIT: I wonder if it’s possible for the current administration to do anything to impact this potential. You’d think the American people would support an executive order blocking contingent elections as it robs them of their vote. Short of something like that happening, I’m terrified that there’s nothing that can be done to stop them.

      Do you think it would help or hurt the situation if Biden were to make a state of the union address and call out the imminent threat of Republican-led chaos causing this situation? Would shedding bright light publicly on it cause the people responsible to scurry away like the cockroaches they are?

  • psvrh@lemmy.ca
    101·
    2 months ago

    Putting aside the obvious concerns, a mayor doing this and using “it’s the same as the maintenance guy” should be a red flag.

    I’ve worked in companies where high-level people take it upon themselves to do operational work. It’s at best pointless retail poltics, and at worst it’s rampant bikeshedding.

    • SlippiHUD@lemmy.worldEnglish
      38·
      2 months ago

      Correct its not his job and at best case scenario it’s introducing an appearance of impropriety.

      Even if he isn’t trying to influence national or state elections, he still has plenty of motive to influence local politics.

  • nemonic187@lemmy.world
    73·
    2 months ago

    Lol. This guy put on a hard hat to move an empty box with a dolly. That’s a flag right there that the guy has never done any kind of hard physical labor in his life. Charge his ass with felony election interference and fire his ass.

    • Jesus_666@lemmy.world
      613·
      2 months ago

      Right. Should’ve worn proper protective gear. Hard hat, headlamp, laboratory goggles, chemical-resistant waders, heat-resistant gloves, ESD strap, respirator, bomb suit, hi-viz vest. You know, the bare minimum to move a box.

  • Em Adespoton@lemmy.ca
    64·
    2 months ago

    “This is no different than the maintenance guy moving it out there….”

    Except…

    1. If the maintenance guy is union, he’s doing union work in contravention of union agreements
    2. moving something out because of a state law is different than moving something away in contravention of said state law
    3. the maintenance guy wouldn’t make it a press opportunity and dress up like a construction worker
    • m0darn@lemmy.ca
      13·
      2 months ago

      The mayor is wearing a hardhat and loafers. Clearly needs training on appropriate ppe.

  • 👍Maximum Derek👍@discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
    411·
    2 months ago

    “I think mail in ballots aren’t secure, so I’m taking away the boxes that are a more secure option than the mail.” Their excuses for election interference make them look like idiots but the media is happy to go along with it.

  • Sanctus@lemmy.worldEnglish
    24·
    2 months ago

    Look at this wet napkin:

    These are the people that demand their ideals be followed:

  • Makeitstop@lemmy.worldEnglish
    20·
    2 months ago

    Republican official determined to make voting harder in Republican dominated community, not going to let facts or laws get in his way.

  • fluxion@lemmy.worldEnglish
    17·
    2 months ago

    We should have special drop boxes that sock you in your stupid face if you try to fuck with democracy in the land of the free.

  • Media Bias Fact Checker@lemmy.worldB
    515·
    2 months ago
    Associated Press - News Source Context (Click to view Full Report)

    Information for Associated Press:

    MBFC: Left-Center - Credibility: High - Factual Reporting: High - United States of America
    Wikipedia about this source

    Search topics on Ground.News

    https://apnews.com/article/wisconsin-supreme-court-ballot-drop-boxes-2024-9d3973ea65b78436df478e7d8ae28cce
    https://apnews.com/article/election-2024-voting-ballots-certification-state-laws-c6d5a339503771596758a733851bfeae
    https://apnews.com/article/wisconsin-absentee-ballot-drop-box-mayor-0cb22602cb91b98051dff02a5e9be604

    Media Bias Fact Check | bot support