Clerks report steady voting, no issues

WLUK TV

Updated: Apr 3, 2012 6:00 PM

GREEN BAY — It's on again, it's off again. It sounds like a bad relationship. But it's actually what workers at Wisconsin polls are dealing with concerning the state’s voter ID law.

Elections are back to the way they were done before Wisconsin's voter identification law went into effect.

After asking for ID more than one month ago, clerks across the state had to prep their polling staff not to.

In early March, two Dane County judges suspended the voter ID law - for now.

When the injunctions were granted, Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen said he planned on appealing the rulings.

But there has been no movement on the law since March and, so far Tuesday, some clerks in Northeast Wisconsin say the day has gone off without a hitch.

"We had a February primary so we had all of that training that I provided to the election inspectors in going forward and asking for the ID,” said Charlene Peterson, the De Pere City Clerk. “So I removed that part (from last week’s training)."

At the polling location at Notre Dame Middle School in De Pere, Peterson says voter turnout has been consistent for most of the day.

She says one of the only issues this location had was the layout of the voting room, which workers quickly changed.

Election Chief Inspector Dick Albers' polling location is in the East Town Mall in Green Bay.

“It's a new polling place for people in both of these wards," said Albers.

He says there have been no issues with the IDs at his location.

However, he says some people are confused about where they are supposed to vote.

Albers says the mall is a new polling place because of the recent redistricting.

"We've had a few people that are ready to show us (their ID) and we just don't need it,” explained Albers.

“Everybody that's coming here to vote, whether they're in the 5th Ward or the 11th Ward, this is a new polling place,” said Albers. “So nobody's used to coming here."

The Government Accountability Board says if a voter is asked for an ID, that person should not comply. They should speak with a chief inspector or call the GAB.

FOX 11 spoke with the GAB Tuesday afternoon. Spokesman Reid Magney says he has received no complaints about poll workers asking voters for identification.

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