In a recent interview for Mid-Day Magazine with James J. Malouf on WFHR Wood County Clerk, Trent Miner, came in to help listeners prepare for voting day.
By Laura Bergh
As part of his duties as Wood County Clerk, Trent Miner is the chief election official for the county. It is important for voters to be able to understand the process and expectations. This Wood County Election Update is meant to help protect people from misinformation about election results.
The interview began with Malouf and Miner stating their confidence in the state of elections today. Miner expressed his gratitude for all the checks and balances in place. They help secure and protect the legitimacy of elections in Wood County. The two then emphasized the importance of registration. In Wisconsin you can register at the polls, however completing your registration beforehand will save time on voting day. When you go to vote, whether by absentee ballot or in person on November 4th, be sure to bring proof of residency along, such as a driver’s license or utility bill. You will also need to bring along a photo id, such as a passport, or drivers license.
Miner stated that the voting day lines shouldn’t be too terribly long because early absentee voting has been very busy this year. Early absentee voting began on October 22nd and will continue until November 3rd. For early in-person absentee voting bring the same items along as voting day to your local early in-person voting site. For Wisconsin Rapids that would be the City Hall. Miner said that as of Tuesday night, in the city of Grand Rapids, 40% of registered voters have already cast their ballots. Across America other states have been reporting similar numbers having already cast ballots early. Polling suggests that more than half of registered voters are expected to cast their ballots early this year.
Malouf took this opportunity to remind voters that poll workers are almost entirely volunteers. Miner emphasized that the same rules, standards, and structure are used in early voting, meaning that it is just as secure as voting day. Miner then stressed that election workers will be putting in very long days on November 4th, and that voting early does take some of that pressure off of them.
After a question regarding what will be on the ballot, Miner suggested that voters in Wisconsin head to the best website available for this purpose. You can follow this link to myvote.wi.gov and after putting some personal information in will show your ballot. The Wisconsin Elections Commission also has a great informative website that you can visit here. In the Wisconsin Rapids area there are several referendums on each municipality’s ballots. Miner specified one referendum that is state-wide regarding the language of existing voter laws about immigrant voters. He also said that in Wisconsin Rapids, and other areas, there will be a referendum on allowance of ATV/UTV vehicles within city boundaries.
Malouf and Miner then took the time to suggest each voter make a plan. At the time of this article (10/31) there are three days left of early absentee in-person voting, and only this evening left to turn in mail-in ballots. Mail-in ballots may be dropped off on election day, but they MUST be dropped off by the voter themselves only. After those cut-offs, be sure to make your own plan. Know where your polling place is, have a plan on how to get there, and don’t forget your photo id and proof of residency.
The duo then took another opportunity to express their belief in this election process. They also said that it is important for those who doubt the legitimacy of elections to ask questions, and to volunteer as a poll worker. To volunteer, head to the Municipal Clerk in your town and they will help you volunteer.
The interview closed with an important reminder to be kind. Be kind to your fellow voters, and to the volunteer Poll Workers ensuring a safe, secure and accurate election.
For more information, and contact pathways to Trent Miner you can visit the County Clerk website here.
To listen to the interview in full you can find it on our website here.
