Outrage over a mayor's decision to move a ballot drop box in Wausau on Tuesday.
Wausau Mayor Doug Diny said he was doing some work at his office at City Hall on Sunday when he claimed to have noticed the ballot drop box, which sits on the corner by the handicap accessibility ramp outside City Hall, was not properly secured.
"For all I know and for all anyone knows it could have been in the river, it was not bolted down," said Mayor Diny, "If it would have been bolted down it would have been a completely different story if I would've unbolted it."
With ballots sent out the previous week to voters, he decided to take matters into his own hands.
"You would think bolting it to the ground would be an appropriate thing before we send ballots out that says it's ready to go," said Mayor Diny, "I went and got a cart and I wheeled it up to my office. So I put it in a safe place, and there it sits."
This comes after the city of Wausau decided to put out ballot boxes for the August Primary Election.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled in July that absentee ballot drop boxes were legal. Sole discretion of the placement and removal of the ballot boxes lies with the municipal clerk.
For the city of Wausau, that means the only person who can dictate where the ballot box goes at any given time is City Clerk Kaitlyn Bernarde.
Mayor Diny said he hasn't spoken to Bernarde about the incident yet.
"I haven't had a chance to talk to her yet, she's been busy I've been busy. So believe it not since last Thursday. I haven't talked about this issue," said Mayor Diny.
City residents gathered in front of city hall on Tuesday to say- enough.
"As voters our voices are being silenced" said Nancy Stencil.
They said Diny was wrong to handle the box, regardless of the reason.
"It's not within his purview or his job description to be that involved with the voting so to take away an opportunity for our people to vote is not something that I want to stand up for or lay down for," said Kay Palmer.
They said they deserve better as voters.
"I feel it undermines our elections it undermines the voters it's not giving people a chance to have an accessible way of voting it should be made easier not being made more difficult," said Stencil.
