MONROE — What would have typically been a long Election Day for the City of Monroe Clerk/Treasurer Brittany Rindy seemingly turned into three weeks of exhaustion and uncertainty. 

Despite Election Day happening as planned April 7, results haven’t been shared and won’t be until April 13. Rindy is still waiting for direction from the Wisconsin Elections Commission on absentee ballot specifics before she can release unofficial results.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Gov. Tony Evers issued a “Safer at Home” order that went into effect March 25, and closed all non-essential businesses and reduced gathering sizes to stop the spread of the virus. Continuing to hold the election in the midst of a pandemic has caused statewide debate. 

April 6, Evers attempted to delay the election until June by executive order, but his order was struck down by Wisconsin’s Supreme Court just a few hours later.  

Rindy said despite Evers’ attempt, she took direction from the Wisconsin Elections Commission, which suggested all municipalities move ahead with election planning as if it were still happening, which turned out to be worthy advice.  

Absentee ballots have left frustration and misunderstanding for some. An order that was in place to extend the absentee ballot deadline was also overturned April 6, and meant that absentee ballots had to be postmarked by Election Day in order to be counted.  

“I think that left a lot of voters uncertain,” Rindy said.

With the influx of absentee ballot requests being even higher than anticipated, Rindy said her job has become much more labor intense. She said she balanced her focus from hundreds of absentee ballots to strategizing on how to secure poll workers, develop ways to keep them and voters safe and make an effort to social distance all of them. 

“A lot of people came wearing their own masks,” Rindy said. “We took many safety measures. I was thankful for our small municipality.”

The rollercoaster ride of watching legislation change and the uncertainty that came with it hasn’t been easy for Rindy, who has only served as clerk for one small election before this one. 

“It was a lot,” Rindy said. 

In being creative to get voters out early, Rindy said she had help implementing a “Park and Vote” option days before the election, allowing people to maintain the safety of staying in their vehicle to cast their vote. 

“A lot of the departments pulled together (to help),” Rindy said. 

Just six of the 25 poll workers helping in Monroe that day had worked an election before, she said. However, the inexperienced workers caught on quickly. Rindy also served as the Chief Election Inspector, pulling double duty. 

Despite challenges, Rindy said Election Day on April 7 went smoothly. 

“People seemed happy with the process,” she said. 

Rindy said there were close to 500 in-person voters April 7, which was close to the number she anticipated. There was a “constant flow,” but the group never became overwhelming. About 2,500 absentee ballots were mailed, and as of April 7, 2,305 had been returned. 

Although there isn’t yet a final number of total voters, Rindy said she’s estimating just under 3,000 for this election. There are about 5,000 registered voters in the City of Monroe, she said. 

Absentee ballots are much more labor intense than in-person voting, Rindy said. She’s hoping the Wisconsin Elections Commission looks to improve and ease the process put on the local municipalities and clerks. 

Wisconsin Elections Commission Administrator Meagan Wolfe held a press conference April 8 to answer questions about the spring election. She said masks and gloves were sent to municipalities for use and members of the National Guard were offered to municipalities. She reiterated that results will not be made available until 4 p.m. April 13.

“Our local election officials are incredible,” Wolfe said. “The challenges that they overcame are astounding and remarkable …” 

Rindy said despite the additional hours she’s worked to make the unusual election happen, she is not receiving additional compensation.