Potential Electioneering Attempts Thwarted by Wisconsin Law Firm
August 17, 2024

Lake Country Tribune

By Therese Boudreaux | The Center Square

(The Center Square) – A city clerk in Neenah, Wisconsin, has been stopped from posting explanatory material about the constitutional amendment ballot proposals inside voting booths, actions that could have been considered illegal electioneering.

The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty sent a warning letter Wednesday to Neenah City Clerk Char Nagel, after it received reports from voters that election workers at the Neenah City Hall early voting site had displayed a news article inside all voting booths. 

The article characterized the two nonpartisan referendum questions on the ballot as partisan measures, painting a YES vote as the Republican stance and a NO vote as the Democrat stance.

“Neenah’s City Clerk had no right to try to put a thumb on the scale to manipulate the opinions of voters. This should serve as a warning to other election clerks to abide by the rules in Wisconsin law,” WILL Deputy Counsel Dan Lennington said.

Wisconsin state law prohibits both electioneering – any activity intended to influence voting – and posting or distributing election-related materials at polling places. 

According to reports from multiple voters, when confronted about the practices, Nagel claimed that “we have to explain” the referendum questions because “voters don’t understand” what they mean.  

“Not only is it not your job to signal to voters which ‘side’ supports these questions, you are prohibited from doing so,” authors of the WILL’s letter wrote. “Placing a news article characterizing referendum questions as partisan within each voting booth and elsewhere at the polling location clearly violates both state laws.”

The law firm threatened to report Nagel to the authorities if she did not immediately remove and prohibit further postings of election-related material at the polling place.

In response to the letter, Neenah City Attorney David Rashid denied Nagel’s activities constituted electioneering, but agreed to comply with WILL’s demands anyway. 

“While we respectfully disagree with your appraisal of both the facts and the applicable law as may relate thereto, in the interest of maintaining election integrity and avoiding even the appearance of impropriety, the subject material was immediately removed at the request of the citizen and will not be permitted to be re-posted,” Rashid wrote. “Moreover, nothing other than ballots and marking instruments will be present in our voting booths.”

The proposed amendments would require the governor to obtain the state legislature’ approval on some spending decisions that involve federal funding.

Syndicated with permission from The Center Square.

NEXT: 7 Unique Folklores and Superstitions From Throughout Wisconsin

View More Sports Articles

DockHounds Fall To Second Place After Week at Home

DockHounds Fall To Second Place After Week at Home

Last week, the Lake Country DockHounds were walking tall as they held the top spot in the American Association of Baseball's East Division standings. However, this week they have given up that coveted spot, falling into second place. Their current record is nearly...

DockHounds Take the Lead in East Division

DockHounds Take the Lead in East Division

The Lake Country DockHounds seem to be on the path to success. Halfway through June, the team has now officially been playing their 2025 season for just over a month. This past week, they finally jumped ahead of the Cleburne Railroads to nab the top spot in the...

The DockHounds Opening Weekend Recap

The DockHounds Opening Weekend Recap

The DockHounds' season has officially begun, as of Friday, May 9. The team played their first game of 2025 in Rosemont, Illinois at Impact Field against Illinois rivals the Chicago Dogs. The opening game served as a great start to the year, with the DockHounds...

Why Pickleball Has Become so Popular

Why Pickleball Has Become so Popular

Pickleball, a quirky hybrid of tennis, badminton, and ping-pong, has exploded in popularity over the past decade. From neighborhood courts to professional tournaments, this paddle sport is capturing hearts worldwide. But what’s driving its meteoric rise? Let’s break...