WEC Newsletter
Volume III, Issue XIX
November 17, 2023
Happy Veterans Day!
Wisconsin is home to more than 330,000 veterans. Thank you all for your service to our country. We are grateful for all you have done for us. To all the clerks, election professionals, and volunteers who are veterans, thank you!
Contents
A Special Holiday Thanks to our Wisconsin Clerks
As we head toward the Thanksgiving holiday, the WEC staff would like to take a moment to offer special thanks to a tremendous group of caring public servants: all of you, the nearly 2,000 dedicated municipal and county clerks, and staff who serve the voters of Wisconsin so well.
At times, you endure extremely difficult conditions, while professionally and impartially administering our state’s elections. It has been said before, and we will repeat it again: you truly are the unsung heroes of Wisconsin’s democracy.
At the WEC we are deeply appreciative of the time and commitment you put forth, from training poll workers and preparing ballots to making sure voting machines are good to go. You are nimble, ready to change protocols quickly as administrative rules and court decisions are rendered.
You ensure every voter feels welcome and safe at your polling places, which must be accessible to all. You are transparent and patient, providing the same treatment and messaging to all, regardless of political affiliation or beliefs.
You look out for the wellbeing of your staff members and poll workers. And as we roll into the 2024 election cycle, we know that you will continue to go above and beyond, always ready for the unexpected, and always keeping Wisconsin elections fair, accurate, and accessible to all.
Thank you, and happy Thanksgiving!
Make Sure Voters Can Find You!
Check your staff info on MyVote
Maintaining your contact information and staff list in WisVote is crucial for ensuring that voters can contact your office and that only active election officials have access to this sensitive database. You can easily verify that your municipality's clerk contact information is correct by using MyVote. Click on the "Find My Clerk" link in the footer and enter a local address.
Also, as a matter of routine, please keep the WEC Helpdesk aware of any incoming staff members who need WisVote access, or outgoing staff members whose access should be removed, and the dates to change their access.
Please contact the WEC Helpdesk if you have any questions.
AVOID THESE WORDS IN EMAIL SUBJECT LINES
Phishing attempt prompted DET to put certain blocks in place
We recently learned that the Division of Enterprise Technology is blocking any email to state accounts with a combination of “Train/Training” and “Require/Requirement” in the subject line. This action is in response to a recent email phishing campaign that flooded state mailboxes with malicious emails.
Unfortunately, this means emails with subjects such as “Training Requirements” were blocked and not received by the WEC. We ARE receiving some emails with “training” or “requirement” in the subject line, but while this policy remains in effect, we recommend avoiding these terms in email subject lines.
We have not been provided a list of the exact phrases being blocked. If you have concerns about any keywords currently being blocked, please let us know.
If you recently reported training hours via email, please check your status on WisVote by clicking on your name in the Staff Contacts or Jurisdictions tile. Otherwise, contact the HelpDesk to confirm that your hours were logged properly.
As always, you can also call the WEC Help Desk at 608-261-2028 to ask questions or to confirm receipt of your email. It is our hope that this policy is short-lived. We will provide an update as we know more.
Badger Book Training Complete!
Badger book training sessions big hit around state
The WEC staff engaged with more than 500 local election officials over three weeks
Staff were very pleased to offer 19 sessions of Intro to Badger Book training at 13 locations around Wisconsin from Oct. 23 to Nov. 10.
A total of 503 clerks, deputies, and chief inspectors attended the training sessions. In total, 107 new municipalities have purchased or are in the process of purchasing Badger Books for use in 2024.
The WEC staff reports that the sessions were well-received by participants, and that the training helped to create confidence for Badger Book users as they head into next year’s election cycle.
There are no additional Badger Book training sessions scheduled for the remainder of 2023. If a municipality has purchased Badger Books and has not yet accessed the training, election officials in those communities should contact the WEC as soon as possible to get connected with a certified Badger Book trainer in their region.
Commission Meeting Recap
On November 2, the WEC Commissioners met at the state Capitol for their quarterly in-person meeting, where they took up numerous items ahead of the quickly approaching 2024 election cycle. Meeting materials, including draft minutes, can be found here.
Among other things, the Commission:
- Unanimously approved Dominion Voting Systems’ Democracy Suite 5.17 and 5.17S for sale and use in Wisconsin.
- Prescribed the National Mail Voter Registration Form to be used in the limited circumstance of being used by Military and Overseas (UOCAVA) voters for the 45 days prior to an election. The Commission ordered that UOCAVA voters, who are eligible to use the federal form for this limited purpose, shall be identified by designating themselves as a UOCAVA voter on their registration or absentee application, by the use of an overseas address on their election materials, or if the clerk has direct personal knowledge of the voter’s UOCAVA status.
- Adopted the revised EL-122 Special Absentee Certificate Envelope and instructions for use by municipal clerks as needed to comply with Wis. Stat. § 6.87(4)(b)5. The form is available here. The option allows a voter in a facility - that could have been served by SVDs but was not served by SVDs - to have an authorized representative of the facility verify that the voter’s name and address are accurate in lieu of requiring the voter to show an ID.
Need to Add Chief Inspectors to TLC?
Head to The Learning Center to Add Chief Inspectors and WisVote Users in TLC
The form for adding chief inspector training and municipal clerk training users is called Request to Add Authorized MCT & CIT Training Users. To add WisVote users please use the Request to Add Authorized Users in TLC form.
50 Years of Civic Service
Longtime Election Worker Receives High Honor
Milwaukee’s Phyllis Whitley Recipient of First-Ever Trailblazer Award
Phyllis Whitley has been doing more than her part for the city of Milwaukee for nearly 50 years now, so it’s no surprise that Wisconsin’s largest city would honor her for those efforts.
Whitley, 67-year-old field coordinator for the Milwaukee Election Commission, was recently the recipient of Milwaukee’s first-ever Trailblazer Award.
Whitley said she is extremely proud of her work at the city’s Election Commission, along with her efforts in two other city roles before she moved to elections.
Family members and co-workers were on hand for a special ceremony at City Hall where Mayor Cavalier Johnson presented the mother of 10 and grandmother of 12 with the Trailblazer Award.
“I was shocked, I was happy, I was so many things, so many emotions were playing a part in me," Whitley said. "It made me feel great.”
At the Milwaukee Election Commission, Whitley leads a team troubleshooting voting machines and other election equipment to make sure everything is functioning properly in the run-up to elections.
“I think I play a very important part in ensuring that the elections are going to be upheld, and that nothing fraudulent is going to happen,” she said. For her, that satisfaction is the best part of the job.
Whitley started with the city in 1974. Dreams of being a schoolteacher were pushed aside as she needed to find work. The teenage mother took a part-time job as a circulation aide with the Milwaukee Public Library.
“There was one guy there, at the library, who told me I would make a great full-time worker," Whitley said.
He believed in her, and that made all the difference. Soon, she landed a full-time job at the library.
“I loved it. I got to read everything. I found newspapers that I never knew existed,” said Whitley.
She moved from the library to the city’s print shop before a colleague approached her in 1985. She let Whitley know about an opening at the Milwaukee Election Commission.
For Whitley, the chance to serve voters was a powerful draw.
She started in the Milwaukee Election Commission warehouse, learning the ins and outs of voting machines.
“I just thought, I am going to be part of a very important process, and I felt so good about it,” Whitley said.
By this time, she had met her husband. Her family was growing, and she had found her life’s professional calling.
Many things have changed in the elections realm over the years, but not the immense pride Whitley still feels about her work.
With the February election just around the corner, the election warehouse is a beehive of activity. Whitley needs to secure several new polling locations; voting machines must be tested; records updated; a small mountain of materials for around 200 polling sites must be reviewed and organized. Everything must be scrutinized, “so that we can find anything that possibly could be wrong (and fix it) before anything leaves this building,” said Whitley.
At 67, retirement is not on her radar. “I feel like I’ve done a lot, but I don’t feel like I’m ready to stop. My mind is sharp,” she said.
Whitley loves giving back to her community and is so thankful for that colleague at the library who told her – now nearly a half-century ago – that she had self- worth, and that she would be a great full-time city employee.
“I feel really good that I was able to stick with this,” Whitley said.
Spoken like a true trailblazer.
Upcoming Dates & Deadlines
Upcoming Events
- November 28, 2023 – County clerks publish Type A notice of Spring Election and Presidential Preference Vote
- November 28, 2023 – Municipal clerks publish Type A notice of Spring Election for municipal offices and referenda.
- November 30, 2023 – Deadline for political parties to submit list of nominees for election inspectors and special voting deputies to municipalities.
- December 1, 2023 – First day for candidates to circulate nomination papers for the 2024 Spring Election.
Upcoming Commission Meetings
- December 19, 2023 – Special Meeting
Upcoming Elections
- February 20, 2024 – Spring Primary (if necessary)
- April 2, 2024 – Spring Election & Presidential Preference Primary
- August 13, 2024 – Primary Election
- November 5, 2024 – General Election
Recent Clerk Communications
- November 9, 2023 – Monday June 3, 2024, Filing Deadline for Partisan Primary
- November 8, 2023 – UPDATE National Mail Voter Registration Form
- November 6, 2023 – Ballot Timeline for the April 2024 Spring Election and Presidential Preference Primary
- November 2, 2023 – Subject Lines When Emailing State Agencies
- October 26, 2023 – 2024-2025 Calendar of Election Events Finalized