The Wausau ballot box drama heads to Madison as the mayor remains quiet during the investigation

WAUSAU, Wis. (WSAW) – Wausau voters are in Madison demanding justice against Wausau Mayor Doug Diny. They gathered to deliver a letter to the U.S. Attorney’s Office asking them to investigate Diny’s conduct in picking the ballot box. Voters tell us they are worried.

Some believe Diny violated state election law. They point to the July Supreme Court ruling that legalized mailboxes. Diny’s addition illegally interfered in this election and should be held accountable.

Voters outside the capital spoke about the law and said no one was above it. Not even the mayor. Citing the July Supreme Court ruling, it is the city clerk’s decision whether or not to use a mailbox.

“The abuse of power and retaliatory rhetoric from boards and elected officials toward our community officials is disrespectful and dangerous. Not just for them, but for our democracy,” said Brittany Vulich, campaign manager for All Voting is Local in Wisconsin.

They also talked about the benefits of the mailbox, saying that when Diny took away the mailbox, people had fewer choices.

“We need to make voting easier and more accessible. It’s not a 9-to-5 thing, so we need something that makes it accessible to everyone,” said Wausau elections official and voter Nancy Stencil.

The Wisconsin Department of Justice is investigating. Now they’re demanding it go to the federal level, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office is doing the same.

“That ballot box went back in. It was locked in his office. No one had access to it, and when the mail-in ballots were sent out, a week actually passed before anyone could use that box,” Schablone said.

However, if you asked Mayor Diny if he did anything wrong, he would tell you, “No.” He mentioned that the box was in his office. People could have access to it.

“Were ballots in there? If it had been screwed down it would have been completely different. It would never have been brought in,” Mayor Diny said.

The mayor says he has a personal attorney and is ready to defend himself if necessary.

“I have nothing to react to. Nothing was done. Nobody has spoken to me about any concerns and I don’t anticipate any concerns at the state level, federal level or whatever they want to do with it,” Diny said.

NewsChannel 7 reached out to Portage County as they are responsible for investigating this matter and told us the investigation is complete. They have returned all of their information to the Marathon County District Attorney’s Office. Portage County also told us that the Criminal Investigation Division may also investigate this case. We reached out to the Wausau City Clerk’s office to confirm this, but they said they didn’t know.

Diny is requesting that the ballot be placed on the City Council’s Oct. 8 agenda. However, approval would require a committee or the full council to vote.

Furthermore, the Supreme Court’s decision does not require any input from city councilors.

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