Clerks across southeastern Wisconsin preparing for Voter ID

SOUTH MILWAUKEE -- CBS-58 spoke with a handful of clerks across southeastern Wisconsin Tuesday, hearing a lot of the same, \"We're pretty busy.\"  But in places like South Milwaukee, clerks say they have plenty of time to get their workers ready for voter ID and they expect voters to come prepared.



\"It's part of our job and we're ready, we're going to come prepared,\" South Milwaukee clerk Jim Shelenske said.



Ready for anything, local clerks are going about their election preparations like normal, but with additional notes added for Wisconsin's on-again voter ID law.



\"For the poll workers, we're going to have a couple days or a couple sessions for training, one for the chiefs and  one for the regular poll workers,\" Shelenske said.



Shelenske will staff up to four additional workers -- fully trained in voter ID rules -- at each of his city's  four polling locations.



\"The slowest process of this is when people come and wait in line to find their name in the poll books and instead of two poll books we're going to split it up by three to have more people available to help them,\" Shelenske said.



Voters who come to the polls without an ID can still vote November 4th with a provisional ballot, but  need to return with a valid ID by the Friday after.



Out in Mukwonago, village Clerk/Treasurer Steve Braatz says clerks shouldn't have been caught off guard by voter ID, which is something they trained on in the past.



\"The process has been fine,\" Braatz said.  \"Nothing too earth-shattering.  My poll workers are excellent, my chief inspector is amazing so everyone's going to be well equipped.\"



Braatz admits voters in places like Milwaukee will likely see longer lines, but he predicts a smooth election day if voters come prepared.



\"Respect the poll workers,\" Braatz said.  \"There here to implement a law and a job as the GAB has told us, so you've gotta respect them.\"

For information on election day processes and requirements, visit the Government Accountability Board's website here.