Racine Mobile Elections Vehicle rolled out after 2020 vote

RACINE, Wis. - City of Racine leaders rolled out a first-of-its-kind vehicle Tuesday, June 29, the "Mobile Elections Vehicle."

In November 2020, Racine residents said they want elections to be more accessible.

"So I think the November 2020 election taught us a lot," said Racine City Clerk Tara Coolidge. "Essentially, we had tents outside in the middle of November, February, even during that election. We had poll workers who were really, really cold. We also had a lot of people say, ‘I wish you could come here or there,' and we didn’t have the resources to reach all the places that we could."

This is part of how city officials are responding.

"This is our Mobile Elections Unit," said Coolidge. "We can do a lot of things from here, and we’re really excited about it."

It's the mobile arm of the city clerk’s office, meaning anything you can do there, you can do here.

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"We’re able to drive it through the community," said Coolidge. "We’re able to attend events. We’re able to get people registered to vote, and the two weeks prior to the election, we’re are allowed to go out and vote, so it has to be noticed properly, but we can go to different community centers and different places in order to help people vote absentee."

It comes with staff to help you with your paperwork, your own voting booth and even a secure ballot box.

"I hope it brings democracy a little bit closer to where people are gathering," said Coolidge. "I think all too often we say, ‘Come here and do this.’ I hope we can reach out farther."

City officials said they’re always looking for poll workers.