MILWAUKEE — A staple in Milwaukee early voting may be in jeopardy as city leaders say the Midtown Center site may close its doors.
The North Side shopping center is a hub for thousands in the community.
“We've just started to make this a commonplace and a common occurrence, where people are comfortable. They can come here on their own time, they can come to vote. They don't have to worry about standing in lines, any of those things. Everything is working just fine right here,” said Rev. Greg Lewis, Executive Director, Souls to the Polls Wisconsin.
Souls to the Polls Wisconsin Executive Director Greg Lewis says a large part of his group’s work comes from Midtown and to lose it would be devastating.
“That's the pure power we have in this community and we haven’t really accessed to it yet. We don't really know how much power we could possess if we vote because we've never done it en masse and that's what we're looking to continue to try to make happen here,” said Rev. Lewis.
James Causey has lived in this neighborhood his entire life.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel columnist says he had no idea Midtown faced closure, especially after how busy it has been over the years.
“Why would you try to make voting harder, at a time when you want more people to vote?” said Causey.
If we look at Milwaukee's early voting sites from 2020, the two closest sites to Midtown are Villard Square Library and Washington Park Library.
Each location is about 3 miles away from Midtown Center.
That's a 30-minute bus ride or a 1-hour walk from one of Milwaukee’s most used early voting sites.
Causey says that extra distance could make a difference.
“A lot of people don't think that their votes count now. If you add one more layer that makes it even more difficult, then what do you think will happen? That will be fewer votes,” said Causey.
The Midtown early voting site sits in District 2 and its alderman, Mark Chambers, sent TMJ4 a statement saying, “At this time, we are working with the new property ownership to ensure the early voting site at Midtown Center stays status quo. It is not the Election Commission, Mayor’s office, nor my Office’s intention to relocate the polling location point blank, period. The city remains committed to providing accessible voting options for the community.”
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