GREEN BAY, Wis. (NBC 26) — Over 20 community members expressed their concerns about election procedures at a heated Green Bay city council meeting on Tuesday night.
This comes exactly two weeks after absentee ballots were counted hours before the city's posted time. According to the city attorney, there was a typo on the public meeting notice that said people could observe the central count between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m.
"We need some decency," Green Bay resident Janet Angus said. "The staff members who lie need to be held accountable to the public. ... I see the problems with the February 15th election as one of misrepresentations and lies by some staff."
For nearly five hours, alders convened to discuss fair and transparent election processes. Council members voted that staff affirm the city's ballot tabulators have no internet connectivity.
"The proposed actions in the agenda would remove some of the expanded voter resources that were available during the 2020 election," Green Bay resident Natalie Hoffman said. "This would significantly restrict future voting access in Green Bay."
Officials also passed the ability to file a request to discontinue the use of any drop boxes and to refer to staff to possibly create an ordinance for accepting outside money. In 2020, a nonprofit connected to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg granted Green Bay nearly $1.8 million for use in election resources.
Additionally, the city council voted to 'receive and place on file' a request to discontinue voter navigators. Alders hope to make sure residents are well informed regarding election practices.
