Flabbergasted Wisconsin elections officials to depose Madison workers over uncounted ballots
2 weeks, 5 days ago

Flabbergasted Wisconsin elections officials to depose Madison workers over uncounted ballots

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin election officials voted Friday to force Madison city workers to sit for depositions as they try to learn more about how nearly 200 absentee ballots in November’s election went uncounted. The uncounted ballots in the state’s capital city didn’t affect any results, but the Wisconsin Elections Commission still launched an investigation in January to determine whether Madison City Clerk Maribeth Witzel-Behl violated state law or abused her discretion. The investigation’s findings so far The city clerk’s office discovered 67 unprocessed absentee ballots in a courier bag that had been placed in a security cart on Nov. 12, the day election results were canvassed. Voters prep for lawsuit Four Madison voters whose ballots weren’t counted filed claims Thursday for $175,000 each from the city and Dane County, the first step toward initiating a lawsuit.

Elections Election City Wisconsin Ballots County Commission Number Madison Jacobs Dane County Millis Uncounted Uncounted Ballots  madison  election  wisconsin  city  elections  ballots  officials  uncounted  flabbergasted  commission  depose  number  didnt  witzelbehl  workers  county

History of this topic

Wisconsin clerk who failed to count almost 200 ballots is suspended
2 weeks ago

Wisconsin clerk who failed to count almost 200 ballots is suspended

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — The mayor of Wisconsin’s capital city said Wednesday she has placed the municipal clerk on leave as investigators work to determine how she failed to count almost 200 absentee ballots in the November election. Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway said in a statement that the city has launched an investigation and that she needed to suspend City Clerk …

Wisconsin Elections Commission launches investigation into missing ballots
2 months, 3 weeks ago

Wisconsin Elections Commission launches investigation into missing ballots

Raw Story  

The Wisconsin Elections Commission unanimously authorized an investigation Thursday into Madison’s mishandling of nearly 200 absentee ballots that were never counted from the November 2024 election. At a polling site in Ward 56, just west of downtown, Witzel-Behl said election workers didn’t open two large carrier envelopes — used to transport absentee ballots from city offices to neighborhood polling places …

Nearly 200 ballots went uncounted in Wisconsin and officials want to know why
2 months, 3 weeks ago

Nearly 200 ballots went uncounted in Wisconsin and officials want to know why

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — Nearly 200 absentee ballots somehow went uncounted in Wisconsin’s liberal capital after the Nov. 5 election, prompting state election officials to launch an investigation Thursday into whether the city clerk broke the law. The Wisconsin Elections Commission voted unanimously to investigate whether Madison City Clerk Maribeth Witzel-Behl failed to comply with state law or abused her discretion. …

Nearly 200 ballots went uncounted in Wisconsin and officials want to know why
2 months, 3 weeks ago

Nearly 200 ballots went uncounted in Wisconsin and officials want to know why

LA Times  

Nearly 200 absentee ballots somehow went uncounted in Wisconsin’s liberal capital after the Nov. 5 election, prompting state election officials to launch an investigation Thursday into whether the city clerk broke the law. “We are the final arbiters of votes in the state of Wisconsin and we need to know why those ballots weren’t included anywhere.” Wetzel-Biehl said in an …

Hundreds of absentee ballots found a month after election in Wisconsin
2 months, 3 weeks ago

Hundreds of absentee ballots found a month after election in Wisconsin

Raw Story  

On Election Day in Madison, nearly 200 absentee ballots slipped through the cracks. The critical disenfranchisement of 193 Madison voters on Nov. 5 resulted from mistakes at two different polling locations and the lack of a comprehensive system for poll workers to track whether they’ve counted every absentee ballot At a polling site in Ward 56, just west of downtown, …

Wisconsin election chair certifies Trump’s victory in back-to-the-routine teleconference
3 months, 3 weeks ago

Wisconsin election chair certifies Trump’s victory in back-to-the-routine teleconference

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin’s election commission leader quietly certified Donald Trump ’s victory on Friday, moving past the chaos that surrounded the 2020 election results in the battleground state. Commission Chair Ann Jacobs certified results that show Trump won the state with 1,697,626 votes compared to Democrat Kamala Harris’ 1,668,229 votes during a morning Zoom teleconference that lasted six minutes. …

Conspiracy theorists seize on Wisconsin election error
4 months ago

Conspiracy theorists seize on Wisconsin election error

Raw Story  

In the early morning following Election Day in 2020, Claire Woodall, then Milwaukee’s elections chief, mistakenly left behind a USB stick carrying vote totals at the city’s central absentee ballot counting facility. The errors can provide conspiracy theorists a feeling of validation because those errors make a “conspiracy theory more realistic … more believable.” For those people, he said, election …

Wisconsin capital city sends up to 2,000 duplicate absentee ballots, leading to GOP concerns
6 months ago

Wisconsin capital city sends up to 2,000 duplicate absentee ballots, leading to GOP concerns

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — Up to 2,000 voters in Wisconsin’s heavily Democratic capital of Madison were sent duplicate absentee ballots, but a city spokesperson said Tuesday that none had been returned, all affected voters were being contacted and there were multiple safeguards in place to ensure only one ballot is counted. “The clerk’s office moved to rectify it as quickly as …

A Wisconsin elections clerk slips up — and feels the heat
6 months, 3 weeks ago

A Wisconsin elections clerk slips up — and feels the heat

Raw Story  

Everything had been going just fine on the morning of election day in Summit, Wisconsin, when a voter walked up to an election official and asked why Chanz Green wasn’t on the ballot as a state Assembly candidate. Beyond the demand for her to resign, Lundgren’s significant mistake led to calls to get rid of voting machines and the Wisconsin …

Judge dismisses lawsuit challenging absentee voting procedure in battleground Wisconsin
7 months, 3 weeks ago

Judge dismisses lawsuit challenging absentee voting procedure in battleground Wisconsin

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — A Wisconsin judge dismissed a lawsuit Monday that challenged absentee voting procedures, preventing administrative headaches for local election clerks and hundreds of thousands of voters in the politically volatile swing state ahead of fall elections. Oldenberg argued that the state Elections Commission hasn’t been following a state law that requires voters who electronically request absentee ballots to …

Wisconsin criminal justice groups argue for invalidating constitutional amendments on bail
10 months ago

Wisconsin criminal justice groups argue for invalidating constitutional amendments on bail

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin criminal justice advocates argued in court Wednesday that Republican-backed cash bail constitutional amendments approved by voters last year should be invalidated over procedural flaws, a case that elections officials and the Legislature call a cynical attempt to undo election results. People can vote on them again.” Attorneys for the Legislature and state elections commission countered that …

Wisconsin judge dismisses lawsuit over military voting lists
1 year, 7 months ago

Wisconsin judge dismisses lawsuit over military voting lists

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — A Wisconsin judge has dismissed a GOP state lawmaker’s lawsuit over military voting records, saying Friday that the challenge should have been brought against a local elections official, not the statewide elections commission. Rep. Janel Brandtjen, the former head of the Assembly elections committee who has promoted election conspiracy theories, and a local veterans group sued the …

Wis. election officials weigh changes to military voting
2 years, 4 months ago

Wis. election officials weigh changes to military voting

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin election officials are weighing whether changes to military absentee voting are needed after a top Milwaukee election official was charged with fraud in false requests for military absentee ballots just days before the Nov. 8 election. One change members of the Wisconsin Election Commission said they’re eyeing would add a layer of security by requiring military …

Wisconsin lawmaker sues to block the counting of military ballots
2 years, 4 months ago

Wisconsin lawmaker sues to block the counting of military ballots

Salon  

A lawsuit was filed on Friday in the state of Wisconsin that seeks to block the counting of military ballots after receiving a series of fakes. After an investigation, it was discovered that Kimberly Zapata, deputy director of Milwaukee's election commission, was responsible for sending the fraudulent ballots, which she claims to have done to prove a point. Related Judge …

Milwaukee elections worker fired over false ballot requests
2 years, 4 months ago

Milwaukee elections worker fired over false ballot requests

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — A top Milwaukee elections official has been fired after sending falsely obtained military absentee ballots to the home of a Republican state lawmaker who has been an outspoken critic of how the 2020 election was administered, the city’s mayor said Thursday. Kimberly Zapata, deputy director of the Milwaukee Election Commission, requested military ballots for fictitious voters from …

Milwaukee elections worker fired over false ballot requests
2 years, 4 months ago

Milwaukee elections worker fired over false ballot requests

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A top Milwaukee elections official …

Wisconsin ballot spoiling is a no-go after court upholds ban
2 years, 4 months ago

Wisconsin ballot spoiling is a no-go after court upholds ban

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — A Wisconsin appeals court is refusing to block a lower court’s ruling prohibiting voters who already submitted an absentee ballot from voiding it and voting again, a rarely used practice known as ballot spoiling. “Thus, claims of confusion and disenfranchisement ring hollow.” The appeals court’s ruling lifted that hold as of 3 p.m. on Friday, leading to …

Wisconsin judge blocks absentee ballot spoiling
2 years, 5 months ago

Wisconsin judge blocks absentee ballot spoiling

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — A Wisconsin judge is prohibiting voters from canceling their original absentee ballot and casting a new one, siding with a conservative group created by prominent Republicans that said the practice known as ballot spoiling is illegal. The ruling Wednesday from a Waukesha County judge who was a former Republican attorney general comes as voters in the battleground …

2 lawsuits target Wisconsin policy on absentee ballots
2 years, 5 months ago

2 lawsuits target Wisconsin policy on absentee ballots

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — Two lawsuits filed this week argue that Wisconsin election clerks should be allowed to accept absentee ballots that are missing portions of witness addresses, the next step in the ongoing legal battle that has pit conservatives against liberals in the battleground state. The lawsuits, filed three days apart on Tuesday and Friday, come after a judge in …

Wisconsin judge sides with GOP in absentee ballot fight
2 years, 6 months ago

Wisconsin judge sides with GOP in absentee ballot fight

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — A Wisconsin judge on Wednesday ruled that state law does not allow election clerks to fill in missing information on witness certification envelopes that contain absentee ballots, delivering a victory to Republicans nine weeks before the election in the battleground state. Local election officials do not have the authority under the law to modify absentee ballot certificates, …

Sheriff: 2 admitted ordering Wisconsin ballots for others
2 years, 7 months ago

Sheriff: 2 admitted ordering Wisconsin ballots for others

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — Two people in Wisconsin who believe false claims that the 2020 election was marred by widespread fraud admitted they broke state election law by requesting absentee ballots for others in an attempt to underscore vulnerabilities in the state’s voter website, according to a local sheriff. Racine County Sheriff Christopher Schmaling issued a statement Thursday saying that two …

Wisconsin GOP blocks absentee ballot address correction rule
2 years, 8 months ago

Wisconsin GOP blocks absentee ballot address correction rule

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin Republicans erased regulations Wednesday allowing local election clerks to fill in missing information on absentee ballot envelopes, the latest move in the GOP’s push to tighten voting procedures in the crucial swing state. The Wisconsin Elections Commission developed an emergency rule earlier this year that permits local clerks to fill in missing witness address information on …

Wisconsin election investigation paused amid legal fights
2 years, 10 months ago

Wisconsin election investigation paused amid legal fights

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — An investigation into the 2020 election in battleground Wisconsin will be paused while five lawsuits play out, and the former state Supreme Court justice leading it will be paid half as much going forward, the Assembly speaker said Wednesday. However, the investigation could be revived if courts rule that elections officials and others must comply with the …

Wisconsin commission won’t punish fake electors
3 years ago

Wisconsin commission won’t punish fake electors

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — A group of Wisconsin Republicans who took it upon themselves to certify to the U.S. Senate that Donald Trump won the battleground state in the 2020 presidential election didn’t break any laws, state elections officials said Tuesday. According to the Wisconsin Justice Department analysis, Hitt and nine other Republicans, including elections Commissioner Bob Spindell, gathered in the …

Milwaukee prosecutor won’t charge elections board members
3 years ago

Milwaukee prosecutor won’t charge elections board members

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — The Milwaukee County district attorney will not file charges against two Democratic members of the bipartisan Wisconsin Elections Commission, saying Monday there is not enough evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that they committed any crimes. District Attorney John Chisholm, a Democrat, rejected calls from the Republican Racine County sheriff to prosecute five members of the …

Wisconsin election officials push back against 2020 probe
3 years ago

Wisconsin election officials push back against 2020 probe

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin election officials pushed back Friday against a Republican-hired investigator’s review of the 2020 election, branding his findings as inaccurate and insisting the contest was conducted fairly and accurately. All decisions made by the bipartisan Wisconsin Elections Commission affecting the 2020 general election were fully transparent and made in public meetings,” the commission said in a statement …

AP FACT CHECK: Wisconsin election probe ignores some facts
3 years ago

AP FACT CHECK: Wisconsin election probe ignores some facts

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — A former Wisconsin Supreme Court justice examining the 2020 election in battleground Wisconsin laid out his interim findings this week and recommended that legislators should consider decertifying the state’s presidential result — a move attorneys have said is illegal. The bipartisan Wisconsin Elections Commission before the 2020 election provided guidance to local election clerks who run elections, …

GOP investigator: Wisconsin should weigh decertifying vote
3 years ago

GOP investigator: Wisconsin should weigh decertifying vote

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — The Republican-hired investigator of Wisconsin’s 2020 election testified Tuesday that the state Legislature should “take a very hard look at the option of decertification of the 2020” presidential election, a move that GOP leaders reiterated they won’t make and that nonpartisan attorneys call illegal. Michael Gableman released a 136-page “interim report” amid a nationwide GOP effort to …

Gableman wants to jail mayors again in elections probe
3 years, 1 month ago

Gableman wants to jail mayors again in elections probe

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — The former state Supreme Court justice leading a review of Wisconsin’s 2020 elections is changing course, saying he now wants to jail Madison and Green Bay’s mayors and other officials if they don’t comply with his subpoeans. Gableman issued subpoenas in October seeking election records from Wisconsin’s five largest cities and demanding their mayors submit to questioning, …

Wisconsin elections officials knock down conspiracy claims
3 years, 1 month ago

Wisconsin elections officials knock down conspiracy claims

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin’s top elections officials systematically knocked down a series of conspiracy theories about the state’s voter records and election administration during a public hearing Wednesday before a legislative committee chaired by a Republican who has helped elevate the claims. The hearing before the Assembly elections committee gave Wisconsin Elections Commission officials their first public chance to respond …

Wisconsin prosecutor won’t bring election fraud charges
3 years, 1 month ago

Wisconsin prosecutor won’t bring election fraud charges

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — A Wisconsin county district attorney said she will not bring election fraud charges against members of the state elections commission or nursing home workers after a sheriff who backed former President Donald Trump called for them to be prosecuted. Racine County District Attorney Patricia Hanson, a Republican, said in a letter dated Thursday that she would not …

Wisconsin Elections Commission proceeds with absentee rule
3 years, 1 month ago

Wisconsin Elections Commission proceeds with absentee rule

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — The Wisconsin Elections Commission is moving ahead with enacting a rule that will make clear that local election officials can fill in missing information on absentee ballot envelopes submitted by voters. The bipartisan commission voted 4-2 on Monday to use its existing guidance on correcting absentee ballot envelopes when drafting an emergency rule spelling out what is …

Voting machine company won’t comply with Wisconsin subpoena
3 years, 1 month ago

Voting machine company won’t comply with Wisconsin subpoena

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — A Nebraska-based voting machine company told the Republican-hired attorney leading an investigation into the 2020 presidential election in Wisconsin that it will not comply with subpoenas issued seeking a broad array of information. Attorneys for Election Systems & Software told former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman in a letter dated Jan. 21 that it would not …

Wisconsin mayors targeted amid GOP-ordered election probe
3 years, 3 months ago

Wisconsin mayors targeted amid GOP-ordered election probe

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — The Republican-hired attorney investigating the 2020 election told Wisconsin lawmakers during a testy hearing Wednesday he has filed a lawsuit to force officials in Green Bay and Madison to provide testimony. Michael Gableman said he’s trying to determine whether government officials in Wisconsin’s five largest cities used grants funded by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg to support Biden. …

Wisconsin sheriff wants charges filed over nursing home vote
3 years, 4 months ago

Wisconsin sheriff wants charges filed over nursing home vote

Associated Press  

RACINE, Wis. — A sheriff on Wednesday recommended that five members of the Wisconsin Elections Commission be criminally charged for telling local elections officials to send absentee ballots to eight nursing home residents in 2020 instead of sending poll workers to oversee voting there during the coronavirus pandemic. Racine County Sheriff Christopher Schmaling, a Republican, earlier called on state Attorney …

Wisconsin election investigator cancels mayors’ interviews
3 years, 5 months ago

Wisconsin election investigator cancels mayors’ interviews

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — The retired Wisconsin Supreme Court justice leading a Republican-ordered investigation into the 2020 presidential election in the battleground state on Thursday canceled plans to interview mayors and election officials from the state’s five largest cities, days after he subpoenaed them. Madison city attorney Mike Haas said he got a call Thursday afternoon from Andrew Kloster, who is …

Wisconsin election investigator warns of subpoenas
3 years, 6 months ago

Wisconsin election investigator warns of subpoenas

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — The retired conservative Wisconsin Supreme Court justice leading a Republican-ordered investigation into the 2020 presidential election released a video Monday threatening to subpoena election officials who don’t comply and saying the intent was not to overturn President Joe Biden’s narrow victory in the battleground state. Gableman said Monday that if the state’s 1,900-plus municipal and county election …

Wisconsin election investigator demands state preserve data
3 years, 6 months ago

Wisconsin election investigator demands state preserve data

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — The former Wisconsin Supreme Court justice leading Assembly Speaker Robin Vos’ investigation of the November elections asked state officials Thursday to ensure that all records related to the election are preserved and to inform him of any evidence that’s been destroyed. Mike Gableman sent a letter to the Wisconsin Elections Commission asking commissioners to tell local clerks …

Wisconsin Republican schools her colleagues for pushing Trump-inspired election falsehoods
3 years, 6 months ago

Wisconsin Republican schools her colleagues for pushing Trump-inspired election falsehoods

Raw Story  

The state Senate elections committee informational hearing held Wednesday afternoon was quite boring. Her statement was only noteworthy because it came after months of disinformation and increasingly wild allegations and hundreds of thousands in taxpayer dollars allocated for a so-called “cyber-forensic audit" overseen by Speaker Robin Vos and his special counsel former Justice Michael Gableman, goaded on by Assembly elections …

27 possible voter fraud cases in 3 million Wisconsin ballots
3 years, 10 months ago

27 possible voter fraud cases in 3 million Wisconsin ballots

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin election officials identified just 27 potential cases of voter fraud out of 3.3 million ballots cast in the November presidential election and forwarded them to local district attorneys for possible prosecution, based on documents obtained Friday by The Associated Press under the state’s open records law. The identified potential cases of fraud to date are in …

Wisconsin GOP-led Legislature approves election law changes
3 years, 10 months ago

Wisconsin GOP-led Legislature approves election law changes

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — The Republican-controlled Wisconsin Legislature passed bills Tuesday that would make it more difficult to vote absentee — proposals that were all but certain to be vetoed by Democratic Gov. Democratic Sen. Jeff Smith decried the bills as a “continuation of the big lie from Trump.” “What is going on in this country when it comes to elections …

Wisconsin Republicans ask mayor to quit over election report
4 years ago

Wisconsin Republicans ask mayor to quit over election report

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — Republican Wisconsin lawmakers called Tuesday for Green Bay’s Democratic mayor to resign following a report on a conservative website alleging he ceded authority for running the election to a paid consultant with ties to Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg. Democratic lawmakers in northeast Wisconsin, Reps. Kristina Shelton and Lee Snodgrass, accused Republicans of furthering election conspiracy theories and …

Trump files lawsuit challenging Wisconsin election results
4 years, 3 months ago

Trump files lawsuit challenging Wisconsin election results

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — President Donald Trump filed a lawsuit Tuesday in Wisconsin seeking to disqualify more than 221,000 ballots in the state’s two most Democratic counties, a longshot attempt to overturn Joe Biden’s win in a battleground state he lost by nearly 20,700 votes. Separately, two Wisconsin Republicans filed a new federal lawsuit Tuesday that mirrors some of Trump’s claims …

Trump files lawsuit challenging Wisconsin election results
4 years, 3 months ago

Trump files lawsuit challenging Wisconsin election results

The Independent  

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy President Donald Trump filed a lawsuit Tuesday in Wisconsin seeking …

Wisconsin officials: Trump observers obstructing recount Donald Trump recount Milwaukee recount results
4 years, 4 months ago

Wisconsin officials: Trump observers obstructing recount Donald Trump recount Milwaukee recount results

The Independent  

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Election …

Trump objects to counting thousands of Wisconsin ballots
4 years, 4 months ago

Trump objects to counting thousands of Wisconsin ballots

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — The recount of the presidential election in Wisconsin’s two most heavily Democratic counties began Friday with President Donald Trump’s campaign seeking to discard tens of thousands of absentee ballots that it alleged should not have been counted. His team on Friday sought to have ballots discarded where election clerks filled in missing address information on the certification …

Republicans searching for problems with Wisconsin election
4 years, 4 months ago

Republicans searching for problems with Wisconsin election

Hindustan Times  

Republicans are grasping for ways to reverse Joe Biden’s win in Wisconsin over President Donald Trump, despite there being no evidence of widespread fraud or voting irregularities in the state. Supporters of US President Donald Trump attend a 'Stop the Steal' protest outside the Wisconsin state capitol, following the media’s announcement that US Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has won …

Republicans searching for problems with Wisconsin election
4 years, 4 months ago

Republicans searching for problems with Wisconsin election

The Independent  

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Republicans are grasping for ways to reverse Joe Biden’s win …

Republicans searching for problems with Wisconsin election
4 years, 4 months ago

Republicans searching for problems with Wisconsin election

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — Republicans are grasping for ways to reverse Joe Biden’s win in Wisconsin over President Donald Trump, despite there being no evidence of widespread fraud or voting irregularities in the state. “There was a brief technical error in AP’s collection of the vote count in Rock County, Wisconsin, that was quickly corrected,” said AP spokesman Patrick Maks. We …

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