County clerk says spring election ran despite courthouse power outage; office cites contingency lessons

The county clerk (S4) told the Executive Operations Committee that the spring election proceeded despite freezing rain and widespread outages that left some polling places and the courthouse without power. "We have three outlets hardwired into our office," the county clerk said, and that backup allowed staff to keep running many services and "perform all marriage licenses." The clerk added that one family was turned away for passport services because staff could not make photocopies.

The clerk said the Wisconsin Elections Commission called to check on readiness after the storms, and staff moved equipment and ran extension cords to restore power at affected polling places. "We learned a lot from that experience," the clerk said, and recommended securing backup power for a 240-volt printer and purchasing additional power cords so departments do not wait extended periods for facilities support.

The office plans to certify results on the 13th and has already begun preparing for the partisan primary and general election later this year, including programming ballots and tracking candidate filings. The clerk also reported that the county website is now compliant with WCAG 2.1 accessibility standards after implementing DOC Access to make PDFs accessible, and that staff are planning contingency training this summer for municipalities that have not faced similar disruptions.

Committee members welcomed the report and said the experience underscored the need for clearer contingency arrangements at polling locations owned by third parties and for better coordination when facilities lose power. The county clerk concluded by noting the office will continue preparing for upcoming elections and follow up on equipment and generator needs.