Conservative mayor's removal of ballot drop box sparks criminal investigation: report

A conservative Wisconsin mayor on the job for five months is at the center of a criminal investigation after he removed a ballot drop box from city hall before voters in Wausau could use it.

Marathon County District Attorney Theresa Wetzsteon, a Democrat, said Wednesday she is investigating Wausau Mayor Doug Diny’s move after Kaitlyn Bernarde, the city clerk, filed a report upon discovering the drop box missing Monday, according to a report in The Washington Post . In a photo he provided to the Wausau Pilot & Review , Diny is seen wearing a hard hat, gloves and Department of Public Works jacket as he carts the city’s drop box away.

Diny told the publication he moved the drop box to a “safe indoor location” Sunday until he could address issues with the city clerk.

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“He took it upon himself…to move the drop box outside of city hall,” said Wisconsin radio host Pat Kreitlow on his show UpNorthNewsWI. “How do we know this? He took photos of himself.”

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Kreitlow, a former Democratic state senator, said the city clerk was “livid” and other city officials were outraged by the box's removal.

It shows, Kreitlow said, Diny “again attacking your freedom, in this case, the freedom to vote conveniently.”

Diny was sworn in this past April after winning election in the city of approximately 40,000 with the help of the Republican Party. Wetzsteon, the county’s top prosecutor since 2016, was named district attorney of the year in 2022. She announced last month that she would not seek reelection.

The investigation came as the battleground state struggles with whether to use drop boxes after the state Supreme Court allowed them the ability to do so, The Washington Post reported. Ethics violations against Diny are also reportedly being considered.

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