HART Minn. – Kaitlyn O’Connor was surprised when she went to vote in Wiscoy Township. None of the three poll workers had a face mask despite the coronavirus crisis and state regulations. She voiced her concern to no avail. Then she went Facebook to express herself. Her story from Wiscoy Valley, in the isolated upper reaches of Money Creek, was picked up by news reporter Chra Rogers of the Winona Post. So what did O’Connor see when she walked into the pole barn that serves as the townhall? The three election judges were sitting at a table, none with masks and open drinks for sipping, she said. First she thought it might be a snack break After a while, however, is was apparent it wasn’t a break: They just weren’t wearing masks. O’Connor said to them: “You know there’s a global pandemic right now and a mask mandate?’” One judge replied: ‘‘Well, that’s just your opinion.” O’Connor said she responded: ‘It’s really not.” O’Connor announced she was going to take pictures and report the judges’ behavior. Their response, in effect, was a shrug: “Where do you think you’re going to report.” O’Connor went to Facebook with her account in words and pictures. The township clerk was one f the judges in the photos, but the clerk declined to tell her side when asked by Chris Rogers of the Winona Post. The township board chair, Kevin O’Brien, responded, however that election judges ought to have followed follow state rules, including masking. O’Brien himself was in California fighting wildfires on election day.
Wiscoy Valley: Idyllic, insulated.
Wiscoy profile
Wiscoy Valley is a hollow off any beaten track in southern Winona County. Population: 360. Registered voters: 234. Somewhat known for the Wiscoy Valley Communiy Land Coopersative, a largely self-sustaining 22-member communal farm on 358 acres. The valley is verdant in cropland and suroundedby wooded hills. The median household income is less than $37,000.
Verbatim
Kevin O’Brien, Wiscoy Township board chair: “I feel two ways about it. On the one hand, I get that I live in a really rural area and a lot of people here are farmers and don’t see many people other than their family We’re not New York City. We’re not a big metropolis area. But on the other hand, I also kind of feel like, when push comes to shove, if you’re the type of person that wants to step up and take that role in the community like an election judge, I think it’s fair to expect a higher standard.”