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Elm Grove trustees press clerk for security, timeline and export assurances on proposed Badger Books rollout
Summary
Clerk Crystal Turner presented a Badger Books electronic poll book proposal while Trustee Stuckert raised security, single‑station party-balance, and recount/data concerns. The committee asked the clerk to return with two implementation timelines and written responses to the security review.
Village Clerk Crystal Turner introduced the Badger Books electronic poll book proposal and the packet of supporting materials, telling trustees that "election integrity is paramount and that she takes her oath to the village seriously." The proposal packet included an ROI analysis, a technical memo, a consultant technical review and an Election Day Safety and Contingency Plan.
Trustee Jennifer Stuckert framed three principal concerns after consulting a security reviewer: vulnerabilities tied to commercial PC hardware and wireless peripherals, the system's single‑station check‑in model relative to Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC) party‑balance expectations, and the training burden plus the ability to retrieve check‑in data for recounts. On security she cited risks such as "MouseJack"‑style RF exploits, while Clerk Turner responded that there are no known breaches to date and that Badger Books functions only as a check‑in tool separate from the DS‑200 ballot tabulators. Turner also said the electronic poll book can be exported to a USB drive or the village server for recordkeeping.
Trustees discussed local experience and timing: Turner and Deputy Clerk Drescher said about 18 of 30 municipalities in Waukesha County use Badger Books (including the City of Waukesha) and that Delafield has used the system for four to five years. Turner noted that DS‑200 tabulators are approaching the end of a ten‑year lifecycle and that capital replacement is anticipated in 2027 regardless of a Badger Books decision. Trustee Hillmann urged avoiding a rollout close to a high‑visibility election; Turner estimated most poll workers would require "only a few hours of training, potentially split across two sessions."
The committee stopped short of endorsing immediate adoption but expressed cautious, conditional support and asked for further analysis. The board directed Clerk Turner to prepare two implementation timelines for a future Committee of the Whole meeting—one aligned with the 2027 capital budget and one delaying initial deployment by one year to 2028—plus a written response addressing the security reviewer’s top concerns. President Koleski summarized the discussion by noting the transition is a matter of "when, not if."
