Wisconsin’s municipal clerks are key to smooth running elections, but they’re under increasing pressure. Sun Prairie City Clerk Dianne Herman-Brown is president of the Wisconsin Municipal Clerks Association. She says time, and unfunded mandates, are two major concerns for clerks right now.
Herman-Brown says even as election rules and regulations grow more complex, many clerks are not given the time or the resources to keep up with training. “Many of these clerks I know personally, and their board would not let them attend training, and would not let them leave the office,” Herman-Brown recently told the state Government Accountability Board.
Herman-Brown says many local governments can’t or won’t compensate clerks for the training, or there’s no additional staff to cover their absences. Herman-Brown is asking the Government Accountability Board and all groups with an interest in elections to help support clerks in getting needed training.
