Election 2020: A View from the Frontlines

Kathy in her protective mask on Election Day, April 7, 2020

It took a bit to decide where to start, but I think you should know why I was part of the now infamous Wisconsin 2020 Spring Election. My involvement with elections goes back to 1984. In '84 I worked as a registrar at Holt playground in Milwaukee. It was the Presidential Election and at the end of the evening I had registered about 50 people to vote and it felt really good to know that I had helped those people vote. I kept active with elections and in '90 I became a Chief Inspector. It just kept feeling good to help people vote.

In 2014 I was asked if I would be willing to do early voting if there were neighborhood locations. I couldn’t say no to that sense of satisfaction in getting to help my neighbors vote.

We come to this year, 2020. March 16th we started early voting at 3 locations in the City. Zablocki Library is my spot. Milwaukee got a week of voting in before the plug was pulled because of the Coronavirus. Frustrating! But there were concerns about providing a safe way for people to vote. No in-person absentee voting for a week, then curbside early voting started. In 9 days we recorded 6,041 ballots cast. At one point, the police told us, the line of cars downtown was a mile long.

When Republican legislators insisted we would still vote on April 7th- Coronavirus be damned, I thought “that figures.” To me, they appear desperate to keep themselves in power.They thought we wouldn't come out, afraid of the virus. On Election Day there were roadblocks. Only 5 polling locations in Milwaukee, when we usually have 180, but people were determined to vote.

Was there any question that I was in? Never.

5:30am on April 7th, I was stationed at South Division High School. Everything was set up and ready to go. The Inspectors were on site and did assignments on where we felt we could be the most useful. At 6:50am, several of us went out to see if there was a line before we donned our PPE. One of the police officers assigned to South pointed to the end of the line. It was actually only about 75 feet short of being around the block and there was an equally long line of cars waiting for curbside help. 

How did that make me feel? Excited, exhilarated, proud, determined. I wish I could explain it. I know many of those people were in line because they knew there were people who wanted to deny them their vote. I don't have the numbers as to how many people voted at South. We'll be getting that info a bit down the line. I know that there was never a lull in the line. It was constant and steady every minute of the day.

How did I feel by the time the last voter left? By the time we got the site broken down and put away? Pretty exhausted and very satisfied. I pray we never put our voters through anything like this election again. But I'll say it doesn't matter what is happening, as long as I’m able, I will be out there helping people cast their vote. I wish all of you could know the satisfaction I feel each and every time I work an election. It might not be as intense as it was this time. But it's always there. And when I nag you about getting out there to vote.....every word comes from my heart.

Kathy Antoniewicz is a retired member of CWA Local 4603. She has been a union member for 30+ years before CWA Local 5500 merged with CWA Local 4603, sometime in the ‘90s. She’s also been a delegate to the Milwaukee Area Labor Council for “what seems like forever.” Kathy is passionate in everything she does and we’re very lucky to have her as part of our Labor Family.