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Investigation Launched After Uncounted Absentee Ballots in Madison, Wisconsin
MADISON, Wis. — Following the November 5 election, nearly 200 absentee ballots were overlooked in Wisconsin’s capital city, prompting an investigation by state election officials into potential legal violations by the city clerk’s office.
The Wisconsin Elections Commission has voted unanimously to probe whether Madison City Clerk Maribeth Wetzel-Biehl acted unlawfully or misused her discretion in this matter. Commission members expressed concerns over the tardy notification from the clerk’s office about this issue, which came almost a month and a half after the election results were certified on November 29.
Despite the assertion from Wetzel-Biehl’s office that the uncounted votes did not alter the outcome of any races or referendums, Commission Chair Ann Jacobs highlighted the severity of the oversight, labeling it “so egregious” that there is a need to investigate how such situations can be avoided in future elections.
Jacobs emphasized the critical role of the commission, stating, “We are the final canvassers. We are the final arbiters of votes in the state of Wisconsin and we need to know why those ballots weren’t included anywhere.”
In response, Wetzel-Biehl expressed her intention to collaborate with the commission to understand what led to the issue and to implement preventive measures for upcoming elections.
This incident marks another problematic chapter for Wetzel-Biehl, who had previously acknowledged that her office mistakenly sent out up to 2,000 duplicate absentee ballots, attributing the error to a data processing mishap.
According to documentation from the election commission, the discovery of the uncounted ballots occurred on December 18, when staff informed the commission that the number of absentee ballots recorded as received exceeded those counted in three city wards.
Following this, Wetzel-Biehl provided a detailed statement, noting that on November 12, her office found 67 unprocessed ballots for Ward 65 and one for Ward 68, contained in a courier bag located within a vote tabulating machine. Additionally, while reconciling ballots for Ward 56 on December 3, her team discovered an additional 125 unprocessed ballots in a sealed courier bag. The reconciliation process is a crucial post-election activity where election officials account for all ballots cast, required to be completed within 45 days after an election.
The statement from Wetzel-Biehl offered no explanation for these oversights but mentioned plans to conduct a debriefing regarding the incidents and to establish enhanced procedures.
On December 26, the clerk’s office released a statement acknowledging the situation and committing to send apology letters to each affected voter. Additionally, Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway disclosed that her staff was not informed about the issue until December 20 and indicated plans to reassess the city’s election protocols.
“While the discovery of these unprocessed absentee ballots did not impact the results of any election or referendum, a discrepancy of this magnitude is unacceptable,” the mayor remarked.
Wisconsin continues to be a key battleground state in presidential elections. In the recent election, Republican Donald Trump secured the state, gaining approximately 29,000 votes over Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris. Conversely, Madison and the surrounding Dane County are recognized as liberal bastions, with Harris receiving 75% of the vote in the county this November.
Source
abcnews.go.com