November 10, 2020 – Washington Co., WI – On October 28, 2020 a story was posted at WashingtonCountyInsider.com about a Town of Barton man, Terry Lyons, who filed for an absentee ballot on October 9, 2020. It never showed up.
On Day 17 Lyons became extrememly concerned.
“I am going to be away for the election,” said Lyons. “I ordered an absentee ballot on 10/9/20. Sherry Eckert, Town of Barton Clerk, who is a longtime friend, mailed the ballot to me on 10/12.”
Just days before the November 3, 2020 election Lyons changed course and voted in-person absentee. He asked the clerk, Sherry Eckert, to spoil his mail-in ballot, which still had not arrived.
There were some who questioned Lyons story; some expressed opinion about the validity of his circumstance while others railed on possible outside interests, etc.
On Saturday, November 7, 2020 there came a resolution.
The ballot finally arrived in the mail, four days after the election.
“Can you believe it,” said Lyons. “Look what showed up today and it’s too late!”
Town of Barton clerk Sherry Eckert confirmed the ballot traveled to Omaha, Nebraska.
“As you can see it was clearly marked,” she said. “That is the original envelope.”
Eckert said normally when people request an absentee ballot everything, including their address, is already in the system. “I print off the labels and get it in the mail so clearly I don’t know what happened,” she said. “I don’t know that the US Postal Service knows what happened… unless it got attached or snuggled in with something else.. it’s just unfortuate.”
Questioned if Lyons had NOT been proactive and simply waited for his ballot would he have still been able to cast it and have it count.
“No,” said Eckert.
On Monday, November 9, Eckert was busy fielding calls. “We get about six or more a day,” she said. “Most of the questions are the same, people wanted to know if their vote was counted and just confirming the ballot was run through.”
As of Monday morning Eckert was still working to certify votes from the November 3 election. “December 1 is when municiple clerks and county clerks have to have all ballots certified,” she said.
Out of the 2,100 registered voters in the Town of Barton, there were 2,000 that turned out to vote.
