WEC Newsletter
Volume III, Issue XVII
October 6, 2023
Cranberries are washed and separated after harvest, ready for the next step. Photo by Laurie J Lawrence, Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection
King of the crop!
Our incredible Wisconsin farmers are the tops in cranberry production, churning out nearly 5 million barrels every year — that's almost 60 percent of the nation's supply! So, pour yourself a refreshing glass of juice and settle in, we have some tasty election news morsels just for you!
Badger Book Training RSVP Today!
The Badger Book training team will be traveling throughout the state in October and November.
If you intend to use Badger Books in 2024, you must purchase them by January 31.
This is your final gentle reminder that if you are intending to use Badger Books for the first time in spring 2024, you need to go through training this fall. The previous edition of the newsletter has the complete schedule. Clerks were also sent an email on September 21 with more details.
New locations!
- October 23: Hudson
- October 26: Oostburg
RSVP by October 6!
Email @email with the date and training you wish to attend and the number of clerks and chief inspectors you will be bringing. Thank you!
Changes are coming to federal .Gov program
This fall, the .gov Registrar program operated by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) will see the following changes:
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New .gov domain requests will be paused from October 2023 to January 2024 while the .gov DNS zone and related registry software transition to a new service provider. You can request to be notified when registration reopens.
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In November 2023, the .gov Registrar program’s email address will change to @email and phone support will be discontinued.
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The .gov process will become fully digitized – no more physical signatures.
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CISA is launching a new website, which will help governments learn about .gov and why they should use it. The new site is still in production, so the URL is beta.get.gov.
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Enhanced security features, including DNS hosting and a way to establish a security contact.
Please note, this pause will not affect requests for wi.gov domains. That process is managed by the Wisconsin Department of Administration, Division of Enterprise Technology. Questions on obtaining a wi.gov domain should still be directed to [email protected].
Election Security .gov Subgrant
WEC staff will continue to administer the Election Security .gov Subgrant.If you have questions on the subgrant or our security recommendation concerning .gov/wi.gov domains, please email @email.
Maintaining a current .gov domain
Jurisdictions that have a .gov domain will need to follow this guidance to continue to maintain their domain’s nameservers. Domain managers will need to create a Login.gov account with the same email associated with the current registrar before early November.
More info on the changes coming to .gov can be found on get.gov
Great News - Opportunity to Apply for Accessibility Subgrant Open Until June 30, 2024
We're pleased to present the Election Security Subgrant Reimbursement Program, a beneficial initiative for jurisdictions striving to provide accessible voting equipment for disabled voters. Communities can receive reimbursement of up to $750.
The broader federal grant seeks to enhance and evolve our elections process, focusing on ramping up technology, and ensuring a secure system, equipped with robust equipment and processes.
According to the Help America Vote Act of 2002, all polling places need to incorporate a voting system specially designed for individuals with disabilities. It's all about inclusivity here, ensuring equal access and opportunities for participation (not forgetting privacy and independence) for every voter.
Here are the accessible voting systems in use in Wisconsin:
- Clear Ballot ClearAccess 2.0.1
- Dominion Voting - ImageCast Evolution (ICE)
- Dominion Voting - ImageCast X (ICX) BMD
- Dominion Voting - ImageCast X (ICX) VVPAT
- ES&S ExpressVote
- ES&S ExpressVote Tabulator
Please note that this grant does not cover spare or extra equipment. We encourage jurisdictions to reach out to our helpful WEC staff for clarity on qualified purchases. Although county-purchased equipment for a municipality qualifies for the grant, each municipality will receive only one award.
Important Note:
Keep Your FIDO Keys Secure
WisVote promotes a secure login process that uses multi-factor authentication. If your WisVote account doesn't have an active FIDO Key, you'll be asked to register one, especially during your initial login.
The broader federal grant seeks to enhance and evolve our elections process, focusing on ramping up technology, and ensuring a secure system, equipped with robust equipment and processes.
According to the Help America Vote Act of 2002, all polling places need to incorporate a voting system specially designed for individuals with disabilities. It's all about inclusivity here, ensuring equal access and opportunities for participation (not forgetting privacy and independence) for every voter.
Here are the accessible voting systems in use in Wisconsin:
- Clear Ballot ClearAccess 2.0.1
- Dominion Voting - ImageCast Evolution (ICE)
- Dominion Voting - ImageCast X (ICX) BMD
- Dominion Voting - ImageCast X (ICX) VVPAT
- ES&S ExpressVote
- ES&S ExpressVote Tabulator
Please note that this grant does not cover spare or extra equipment. We encourage jurisdictions to reach out to our helpful WEC staff for clarity on qualified purchases. Although county-purchased equipment for a municipality qualifies for the grant, each municipality will receive only one award.
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 about your staff's credentials for WisVote.
This Mom Works in a Castle
Evansville Clerk Leah Hurtley Balances Professional and Home Life
Eight-year-old Ingrid and 6-year-old Ila both think their mom has a very cool job working in a “castle.” Leah Hurtley is not royalty, although her family has deep ancestral roots in this growing Rock County community of 5,800.
Hurtley, the not-so-new clerk in the city of Evansville, was appointed to the job last November. And while the location of her office – Evansville City Hall, built in 1892 – may look like a castle, it is actually a nod to 11th century Romanesque architecture. Made from stone and brick, its bell tower with round arches would look very appropriate surrounded by a moat.
The Hurtley girls are very busy with sports and dance and more and it’s not uncommon for Leah to drop off one of the girls for practice and then head back to the “castle.”
“The clerk role, I feel, is one of the most vital we have here at the city. We touch a little bit of everything,” Hurtley said. The job frequently becomes her priority, particularly during tax season and election cycles. Hurtley is known to burn the midnight oil after the girls’ bedtime.
“I sometimes wonder if the police are going to do a safety check on City Hall because my lights on up here,” she said.
Ironically, several years ago the UW-Milwaukee grad walked away from high stress and long hours working in marketing and sales. “What I wanted to do is take a step back from some of the tolling aspects of the fast pace,” she said. “I wanted to do less.” She wanted a 9-to-5 job “and just come home and be a mom,” she said.
All was going according to plan in 2017 when she accepted a position with the city of Evansville as a customer service representative. “I was curious and eager, and learned all aspects of municipal government. I was always wanting to learn more and more,” Hurtley said. She was promoted to the deputy clerk’s job, working under the tutelage of then clerk Judy Walton.
“She was God’s gift to city clerks, respected and just thorough,” Hurtley said.When it came to elections, Walton had a motto: “We always aim for speed and accuracy. If we can’t have both, we’ll always take accuracy,” Hurtley said, quoting her former boss.
When Walton retired Hurtley next served under clerk Darnisha Haley, who went on to become Janesville’s deputy clerk.
Both Walton and Haley urged Hurtley to consider applying for the clerk position. Walton also advised her that it must be a family decision, knowing well the job’s demands.
Leah told her husband Brandon “there might be times I might not be the one to take the girls to sports, or to make dinners.” Brandon gave his full support, although as time has gone on, she said he does shake his head at times.
“My husband always dreads when I have to go to the Piggly Wiggly, because what should be a 15-minute shopping trip can easily turn into an hour and 25 minutes,” she said.
“I’m a hometown girl. People have questions and they see my face as familiar and it’s easier perhaps for them (to approach me) than to give City Hall a call,” Hurtley said.
She said she also gets work questions on her personal cell phone, on Snapchat, or by private Facebook messages. Inquiries are not always germane to the clerk’s purview: “What is the setback if I want to build a fence?” is one question she has received; “I forgot to sign my son up for T-ball, can I still do that?” is another. “I love the fact that they trust me and feel comfortable approaching me, but you’re never off the clock, for sure,” she said.
Hurtley considers it a blessing to have such a great rapport with her community, the city her family has called home for a couple of generations. Those personal relationships came in handy in the wake of the 2020 presidential election.
“It brings an extra level of comfort and understanding, and we always take time to explain the election process to those who truly want to learn and know,” Hurtley said. She says the fact that she’s “the least political person” also helps to make her a strong city clerk.
Hurtley credits the past two clerks, Walton and Haley, for continued mentorship and support: “I take a piece of what they would say, and how they did things, and that is how I carry on,” she said.
She loves her new career and helping people, often getting names and phone numbers so she can consult municipal codes or state statutes before providing answers to questions. “I’m not in this job for people to get immediate answers,” she said. “I’m in this job to have people get correct answers.”
In recent months, the city filled two vacant positions – the customer service job she once held, and her previous deputy clerk spot. The arrival of new staff has made for a healthier balance of home and work life, even if it does mean spending a little less time in the “castle.”
Upcoming Dates & Deadlines
Upcoming Events
- October 11, 2023 – Webinar: Absentee Envelopes
- October 25, 2023 – Webinar: Appointing Election Officials
- November 1, 2023 – What to Expect in a Polling Place Review
Upcoming Commission Meetings
- November 2, 2023 – Quarterly 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
- October 3, 2023 – Appointment of Election Inspectors from Lists Submitted by Political Parties
- September 29, 2023 – UPDATE Absentee Envelope Designs Approved by the Commission
- September 29, 2023 – Revised Subgrant Documentation
- September 28, 2023 – EL-362 WisVote Clerk Contact Information Update Form
- September 25, 2023 – 2023 ERIC Movers Review Process - Quarter 3
- September 15, 2023 – National Mail Voter Registration Form
- September 8, 2023 – 2023-2024 Election Administration Webinar Series Announced
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