MADISON, Wis. — Wausau Mayor Doug Diny landed himself in hot water this week after he was caught on surveillance footage caving to Donald Trump’s election conspiracy theories and removing Wausau’s absentee ballot drop box from outside City Hall. “Disguised” in a hard hat and Department of Public Works jacket, Diny unilaterally decided to deny Wausau residents a safe and secure method of returning their ballots ahead of the November election.

“Mayor Hamburglar’s drop box heist is not only the latest unfortunate episode of Republican politicians in Wisconsin letting conspiracy theories get the better of them, but it is also an illegal act that violates state election law and the code of ethics for public officials,” said Democratic Party of Wisconsin Communications Director Joe Oslund. “Ballot drop boxes are a secure, convenient, and legal way for folks to cast their vote, and they’ve been utilized in communities across Wisconsin for decades. We urge Doug to do the right thing, release the dropbox today from wherever he is holding it hostage, and prepare himself to face the consequences of his illegal conduct.”

Here’s a quick recap of the mess Doug Diny created for himself this week:

SUNDAY, September 22: Doug Diny took photos of himself carting off the city of Wausau’s safe and secure absentee ballot drop box to “memorialize” denying Wausau residents voting access.

TUESDAY, September 24: The Wausau Pilot & Review broke the story that Doug Diny unilaterally decided to remove Wausau’s absentee ballot drop box because of unnamed “issues.”

• Wausau Pilot & Review: Wausau mayor moves ballot box in controversial act
• “Initially, he said the box ‘was relocated to a safe indoor location until certain issues that the clerk is aware of are addressed.’”

ALSO TUESDAY: Doug Diny changes his story, claims he removed the ballot box because he was afraid it would be “taken and thrown into the river” despite having been informed that he did not have the right to move the box. 

• Wausau Pilot & Review: “Council President Rasmussen said Diny was previously advised by the city attorney that he did not have the right to move the box, which was locked and awaiting installation by the Department of Public Works. Rasmussen said the fact that Diny removed the box even after receiving advice against doing so is especially relevant to Wausau’s ethics code.”
• Wausau Daily Herald: “The move drew immediate questions from the City Council president and spurred a small protest Tuesday evening outside City Hall.”
• WSAW: Activists call for answers at Wausau City Hall after ballot box removal

 WEDNESDAY, September 25: The local and national spotlight was trained on Wausau after Doug Diny’s election interference.

• WJFW: Wausau community members say Mayor Doug Diny illegally removed ballot drop box
• Associated Press: Wisconsin mayor carts away absentee ballot drop box, says he did nothing wrong
• New York Times: A Wisconsin Mayor Took Issue With a Ballot Drop Box Decision, So He Took the Drop Box
• “Mr. Diny thought the City Council should have been consulted — something the Wisconsin Supreme Court did not require in its July ruling granting the city clerk authority — and did not believe the box would be secure. So he walked outside, removed the box and carted it into his office. His actions, which he documented with photos and which The Wausau Pilot & Review reported on Tuesday, are the latest example of a pattern that began around the 2020 election in response to Donald J. Trump’s baseless claims about voter fraud.”

ALSO WEDNESDAY: An investigation was launched into Doug Diny after he removed the absentee ballot drop box while absentee voting is underway in Wisconsin.

• WPR: Wausau mayor unilaterally removes ballot drop box, resulting in investigation and local outrage
• “In a statement Wednesday afternoon, Wausau City Clerk Kaitlyn Bernarde said the matter would be investigated as an election irregularity. She said no ballots or city bills were contained in the locked drop box, and said city staff planned to secure the box on Monday.” 
• WAOW: “The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled in July that absentee ballot drop boxes were legal. Sole discretion of the placement and removal of the ballot boxes lies with the municipal clerk. For the city of Wausau, that means the only person who can dictate where the ballot box goes at any given time is City Clerk Kaitlyn Bernarde.”
• Washington Post: Investigation launched into Wisconsin mayor who removed ballot drop box
• UpNorthNews: Wausau’s conservative mayor relocates a ballot drop box on his own, a potential ethics and criminal violation
• “City Clerk Kaitlyn Bernarde released a statement Wednesday confirming she had reported the drop box removal to Marathon County District Attorney Theresa Wetzsteon and the Wisconsin Elections Commission as an election irregularity. Diny provided photographic proof, showing himself dressed in a shirt and tie, a Department of Public works jacket, and a hardhat as he used a dolly to take the drop box back inside the building. Wisconsin Statute 12.60(1)(a) makes it a felony to “‘by abduction, duress, or any fraudulent device or contrivance, impede or prevent the free exercise of the franchise at an election.’”
• Wausau Daily Herald: Wausau clerk reports election irregularity to DA and Elections Commission after drop box removal by mayor

• Wausau Plot & Review: Furor builds, investigation underway in Wausau ballot box removal