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Port Washington to deploy Badger Books electronic poll books citywide on April 1
Summary
City Clerk Susan told the Port Washington Common Council the city will implement Badger Books electronic poll books at all three polling locations for the April 1 election to speed check-in, streamline election‑day registration and reduce post‑election data entry; equipment is offline and managed locally, with paper backups and training planned.
City Clerk Susan told the Port Washington Common Council on March 4 that the city will deploy Badger Books electronic poll books at all three polling locations for the April 1 spring general election, replacing paper poll books for faster check‑in and on‑site voter registration.
Susan said the Badger Books software is provided and controlled by the Wisconsin Election Commission and that the city purchased hardware from Paragon Development Systems. "It is not connected in any way; it is used for poll books and voter registration only," she said, adding the system is password protected, encrypted and kept under city supervision at all times.
The Badger Books rollout is intended to shorten lines, reduce staffing needs and speed post‑election reconciliation by enabling on‑site entry of voter participation data that previously had to be entered manually. Susan said the machines include signature pads and built‑in scanners that can read absentee ballot barcodes, and each polling place will run on a self‑contained local network with a server and 2–4 client machines. Paper poll books and voter registration forms will remain available as a full backup.
Why it matters: municipal clerks have cited long post‑election data entry times and heavy staffing needs on large elections; Susan said the city had about 1,000 voters to enter after the last presidential election and that Badger Books will streamline that reconciliation. The city held trainings Feb. 24 for chiefs and inspectors and plans additional sessions before April.
Practical details provided at the meeting: early in‑person absentee voting at City Hall will begin March 18 and run weekdays through March 28 (generally 8 a.m.–4 p.m., with extended hours noted in the clerk’s announcement). Susan said absentee ballots should be mailed by March 11 and that the city will operate all three polling locations on April 1 using the new equipment. She also emphasized that wards and polling locations do not change: voters must still go to the polling place for their ward.
Council members raised procedural questions during the presentation; the clerk said the system will be supervised by sworn election inspectors and that the city retains custody of the hardware when not in use. Susan said the Wisconsin Election Commission maintains the software, which the WEC certifies similarly to voting equipment.
The council did not vote on the Badger Books rollout at the meeting; Susan said the April 1 implementation is on the schedule and trainings and communications to voters will continue.
Ending — next steps: staff will continue testing, finalize procedures and complete training sessions ahead of the April 1 election. Additional voter outreach and reminders about ward locations and early voting dates will be issued by the clerk’s office.
