GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — A lawsuit challenging how Green Bay allowed access to election observers during early voting has been settled, with no admission of wrongdoing by the city or compensation to the plaintiffs.
The Republican National Committee, along with four non-Green Bay residents, filed the lawsuit Nov. 1 accusing Green Bay city clerk Celestine Jeffreys of violating the law by not allowing people to observe all public aspects of in-person absentee voting at city hall for the November general election. The next day, Judge Marc Hammer ordered the city to add an area for observers to watch ballots being placed into a ballot box, but the underlying issues were not settled, until now.
According to court documents, the plaintiffs and the city entered into a joint stipulation to settle the case.
“Celestine Jeffreys, in her official capacity as City Clerk for the City of Green Bay, and her employees, representatives, agents, and designees, shall be permanently enjoined from prohibiting, preventing, or unreasonably restricting members of the public from observing the public aspects of the in-person absentee ballot voting process, in particular, the signing of the certification by the witness to an elector voting an in-person absentee ballot and the elector’s depositing or placement of the absentee ballot in any ballot collection box, receptacle, or similar return during the in-person absentee voting process,” the order states.
“The parties’ execution of this Stipulation does not constitute, and shall not be deemed, an admission of liability or wrongdoing by any party hereto, such liability and wrongdoing being by them expressly denied,” another document states.
Each party is responsible for its own attorneys’ fees and costs, according to the order Judge Hammer signed last week.
The deal avoids a trial, which had been scheduled for Sept. 25.
Green Bay’s election administration has been the subject of several complaints in recent years.
In April 2020, voters had to wait up to four hours to vote after the city consolidated 31 polling locations down to two in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The city’s election administration came into question again in November 2020. Republicans accused Mayor Eric Genrich of allowing private consultants to take over election operations, which would be a violation of state law. The city denied any wrong doing, and lawsuits about it were resolved in the city’s favor.
In February 2022, the city started counting absentee ballots hours ahead of the time given to the public. City officials have apologized for what they call a “clerical error.”
