MADISON — At least 60 Wisconsin municipalities are asking voters this November to decide whether their local clerks should be appointed instead of elected.
It’s part of a rising trend among local governments in Wisconsin looking to cast a wider net to attract candidates to the public-facing role, which has become increasingly difficult in recent years.
“What we’re seeing is that a lot of clerks are retiring; there are a lot of clerks who have decided this job is more work than they anticipated,” said Carol Nawrocki, assistant director of the Wisconsin Towns Association. “It’s a job that has become more complicated and complex as time has gone on.”
Municipal clerks run elections, file reports with state government, keep records, oversee liquor licensing, and much more. If an incumbent clerk loses an election, the municipality often must start fresh by training a new, inexperienced clerk.
Watch: At least 60 municipalities ask voters: Should clerks be appointed or elected?
“There’s a lot of information that needs to be passed on,” said Village of Marshall Clerk Michael Wetzel. “A lot of what the board entrusts you with is that day-to-day know-how. When a curveball comes up, you know how to handle it.”
The Village of Marshall has appointed its clerks for decades. Wetzel entered his job in June, leaving the private sector to take up the joint role of clerk and deputy administrator. He hopes to make a career in local government and said that being appointed, rather than elected, offers stability to both him and the village.
Appointing a clerk also allows local governments to hire someone who lives outside the municipality’s boundaries.
“The reason many towns are trying to make this switch is because of the difficulty finding people within their community who are willing to run for the office,” Nawrocki said.
Wetzel said it also eases some of the public pressure elected clerks often face.
After former President Donald Trump made baseless claims of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election, many clerks faced harassment and threats to their safety.
“I think being appointed inherently involves less politics,” he said. “When you’re running in a democratic society like we have, it’s the will of the people. A lot of that can be based on charisma, who you know, or how outgoing and sociable you are, and it can be less focused on how qualified you are for something.”
