MADISON, Wis. — About 2,000 voters in Madison, Wisconsin’s Democratic-dominated state capitol, have acquired copies of absentee ballots, however a metropolis spokeswoman stated Tuesday that none have been returned, that every one affected voters have been contacted and that a number of safety measures have been taken to make sure just one poll is counted.
“This was a mistake,” metropolis spokesman Dylan Brogan stated. “The clerk’s workplace moved to right it as rapidly as potential.”
The error in a Democratic stronghold within the swing state prompted a name for extra data from U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, a Republican supporter of former President Donald Trump whose northern Wisconsin district doesn’t embody Madison.
“Voters deserve clear solutions concerning the scope of this error, how town intends to revive public confidence in its capacity to correctly administer elections, and to make sure these accountable are held accountable,” Tiffany wrote.
The Madison blunder and the push for extra data from a Trump supporter come amid intense scrutiny of how the election was run, notably in key states like Wisconsin. Trump misplaced Wisconsin in 2020. Nearly 4 years later, conspiracy theories surrounding the 2020 election and false claims of widespread fraud persist. Trump continues to insist, regardless of no proof of widespread fraud, that he gained that election as he seeks to return to the White House.
President Joe Biden’s victory over Trump in Wisconsin has survived two recounts ordered by Trump, together with one involving town of Madison, an impartial audit, a overview by a Republican legislation agency and quite a few lawsuits.
Brogan stated that Election Secretary Maribeth Witzel-Behl was responding to Tiffany’s letter and “was answering all of those questions completely.”
“It doesn’t matter if it’s Tom Tiffany or anybody else, we would like everybody to know what occurred,” Brogan stated.
He stated the error occurred when two similar recordsdata had been merged, leading to an inventory with twice the names and twice the addresses. As many as 2,000 duplicate ballots had been mailed to at least one precinct late final week earlier than the error was found and corrected, Brogan stated.
The clerk’s workplace contacted voters individually to tell them of the error and to direct them to submit just one poll, Brogan stated. However, as a result of ballots have similar barcodes, if two ballots are submitted, solely the primary one scanned will depend, Brogan stated.
Additionally, as soon as the poll is scanned, the voter is marked within the voter registration as if she or he had submitted an absentee poll. This is one other safeguard in opposition to a voter submitting a second poll, the clerk’s workplace stated.
As of Monday, Madison had mailed 27,421 absentee ballots and none had been returned, in response to the state elections fee. Brogan stated not one of the duplicate ballots had been returned since then.
