MILWAUKEE, Wisc. — With the fate of the Midtown Center as an early voting site in jeopardy, what that could mean for voting access hangs in the balance.
Neil Albrecht is the retired Election Commissioner for the City of Milwaukee and led the efforts to turn Midtown into a polling place back in 2016.
“Midtown had a long history in that area. It is located at a significant intersection of streets including Capital Drive, and so that was really instrumental,” said Albrecht.
He says making that decision came from wanting to make sure every Milwaukee resident had the ability to cast their ballot.
“You're really talking about offering access to thousands of people who might not otherwise be able to vote in that election,” said Albrecht.
During the last presidential election in 2020, 14 places across Milwaukee welcomed early voters over the span of six weeks, counting more than 61,000 votes.
Nearly 30 percent of those votes came from Midtown Center.
"It's a population that's just much more inclined to take advantage of early voting,” said Albrecht.
But that could soon come to an end.
Early Voting Locations for ... by TMJ4 News
Midtown Center has new owners, and a new tenant is set to move into the space the city typically leases.
We reached out to the owners to ask about the tenant and other options to keep Midtown Center as a polling place.
A spokesperson said they met with city officials last week and have not had further communication.
"You have people who are working multiple jobs, for example, who are just going to be very concerned about their schedules and whether or not they're going to have time to vote on Election Day," said Albrecht.
Albrecht says losing this location could discourage people from casting a ballot.
"These are the ingredients that are critical to voter turnout, and you really don't want to tamper with the recipe. And if you have to make changes, then I would say make as few as possible,” said Albrecht.
The City of Milwaukee Election Commission says it's still working with Midtown's new owners and looking at other vacant spots in the area as potential voting sites.
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