A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request was sent to the City of Mellen regarding new voter registrations on November 7, 2024. The request, made by us at Chippewa Valley Times, specifically asked for a list of voters who registered on Election Day, November 5, 2024.
As a media organization dedicated to providing comprehensive and accurate news coverage on local governmental affairs, we believe that access to public records is essential in fulfilling our professional responsibilities. These responsibilities include holding public institutions accountable and providing transparency to the public.
In the request, we highlighted our role as members of the media involved in gathering and reporting news to the public. Given this role in disseminating information, we expressed our belief that we are eligible for a fee waiver as media professionals under the Wisconsin Open Records Law, §19.31 et seq.
We are committed to keeping our readers informed about important civic matters such as this one and will continue to use tools like FOIA requests to ensure transparency and accountability in our local government.
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