Municipalities lack enough workers for in-person voting

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MADISON, Wis. (AP) — More than 100 municipalities lack enough poll workers to offer any in-person voting on Election Day, a survey state elections officials released Tuesday suggests.

The Wisconsin Elections Commission surveyed local clerks across the state to gauge how many poll workers municipalities have lost ahead of the April 7 election because of fears of contracting the coronavirus. The survey found 111 municipalities are short 671 poll workers, leaving them too short handed to offer in-person voting at the polls. Another 126 municipalities are short 2,713 poll workers, leaving them unable to staff all their polling sites.

The municipalities are spread across the state, according to the commission.

Commission staff said they’re working the state Department of Administration to reach out to colleges, labor unions and other groups to help recruit more poll workers. Clerks have also issued news releases calling for volunteers but they say the situation seems to be growing worse as more poll workers quit.