Latest news with #WisconsinElectionsCommission
3 days ago
- Politics
Wisconsin Elections Commission votes to let small communities hand count ballots
MADISON, Wis. -- Wisconsin communities with fewer than 7,500 people can hand count ballots under a decision by the state elections commission this week. However, under the Wisconsin Elections Commission decision, those communities and all other Wisconsin towns, villages and cities must still comply with federal law and provide at least one electronic voting machine at a polling location to accommodate voters with disabilities. The commission's decision Tuesday came in reaction to a complaint against the northwestern Wisconsin town of Thornapple, population about 700, over its decision to hand count ballots in the April 2024 presidential primary or the August state primary. The decision also comes as a federal lawsuit over Thornapple's decision not to have an accessible voting machine continues. A federal judge in October sided with the U.S. Department of Justice and ruled Thornapple was violating 2002's Help America Vote Act, or HAVA. The judge ordered the town to offer disabled people accessible voting machines. An appeal by the town is pending. Under the commission's decision this week, communities with fewer than 7,500 people can choose to have no other electronic vote-casting or tabulating machines other than one for disabled voters. Elections commission staff determined state law makes it optional for communities with fewer than 7,500 people to provide voting machines in every ward in every election. The law says those communities may 'adopt and purchase voting machines or electronic voting systems for use in any ward … at any election.' Republican commissioner Bob Spindell said the decision will give smaller communities more flexibility, especially in low-turnout local elections. But But Democratic Commissioner Ann Jacobs, who cast the lone no vote, said she worried small communities could game the system by selling voting machines purchased with funding from a state grant and then keep the money. The complaint against Thornapple was filed by the liberal law firm Law Forward on behalf of two Thornapple residents. A spokesperson for the law firm did not immediately return an email seeking comment Friday. The commission's decision could be appealed to circuit court.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Wisconsin Elections Commission votes to let small communities hand count ballots
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin communities with fewer than 7,500 people can hand count ballots under a decision by the state elections commission this week. However, under the Wisconsin Elections Commission decision, those communities and all other Wisconsin towns, villages and cities must still comply with federal law and provide at least one electronic voting machine at a polling location to accommodate voters with disabilities. The commission's decision Tuesday came in reaction to a complaint against the northwestern Wisconsin town of Thornapple, population about 700, over its decision to hand count ballots in the April 2024 presidential primary or the August state primary. The decision also comes as a federal lawsuit over Thornapple's decision not to have an accessible voting machine continues. A federal judge in October sided with the U.S. Department of Justice and ruled Thornapple was violating 2002's Help America Vote Act, or HAVA. The judge ordered the town to offer disabled people accessible voting machines. An appeal by the town is pending. Under the commission's decision this week, communities with fewer than 7,500 people can choose to have no other electronic vote-casting or tabulating machines other than one for disabled voters. Elections commission staff determined state law makes it optional for communities with fewer than 7,500 people to provide voting machines in every ward in every election. The law says those communities may 'adopt and purchase voting machines or electronic voting systems for use in any ward … at any election.' Republican commissioner Bob Spindell said the decision will give smaller communities more flexibility, especially in low-turnout local elections. But But Democratic Commissioner Ann Jacobs, who cast the lone no vote, said she worried small communities could game the system by selling voting machines purchased with funding from a state grant and then keep the money. The complaint against Thornapple was filed by the liberal law firm Law Forward on behalf of two Thornapple residents. A spokesperson for the law firm did not immediately return an email seeking comment Friday. The commission's decision could be appealed to circuit court.
Winnipeg Free Press
3 days ago
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Wisconsin Elections Commission votes to let small communities hand count ballots
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin communities with fewer than 7,500 people can hand count ballots under a decision by the state elections commission this week. However, under the Wisconsin Elections Commission decision, those communities and all other Wisconsin towns, villages and cities must still comply with federal law and provide at least one electronic voting machine at a polling location to accommodate voters with disabilities. The commission's decision Tuesday came in reaction to a complaint against the northwestern Wisconsin town of Thornapple, population about 700, over its decision to hand count ballots in the April 2024 presidential primary or the August state primary. The decision also comes as a federal lawsuit over Thornapple's decision not to have an accessible voting machine continues. A federal judge in October sided with the U.S. Department of Justice and ruled Thornapple was violating 2002's Help America Vote Act, or HAVA. The judge ordered the town to offer disabled people accessible voting machines. An appeal by the town is pending. Under the commission's decision this week, communities with fewer than 7,500 people can choose to have no other electronic vote-casting or tabulating machines other than one for disabled voters. Elections commission staff determined state law makes it optional for communities with fewer than 7,500 people to provide voting machines in every ward in every election. The law says those communities may 'adopt and purchase voting machines or electronic voting systems for use in any ward … at any election.' Republican commissioner Bob Spindell said the decision will give smaller communities more flexibility, especially in low-turnout local elections. But But Democratic Commissioner Ann Jacobs, who cast the lone no vote, said she worried small communities could game the system by selling voting machines purchased with funding from a state grant and then keep the money. The complaint against Thornapple was filed by the liberal law firm Law Forward on behalf of two Thornapple residents. A spokesperson for the law firm did not immediately return an email seeking comment Friday. The commission's decision could be appealed to circuit court.
Winnipeg Free Press
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Wisconsin clerk who failed to count November votes violated multiple policies, investigators say
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The former clerk who somehow failed to count nearly 200 ballots in Wisconsin's capital city didn't break any laws but did violate multiple policies and her contractual duty to supervise elections and maintain professional standards, the results of a city-led investigation released Tuesday show. Madison City Clerk Maribeth Witzel-Behl resigned earlier this month amid city and state investigations into her conduct during the November elections. She hasn't spoken publicly about the uncounted ballots since they came to light in January, and it is unclear if she has hired an attorney. A possible telephone listing for her has been disconnected. She did not immediately respond to a Facebook message from The Associated Press on Tuesday seeking comment on the city findings. According to the investigation, Dane County canvassers discovered 68 uncounted absentee ballots in a tabulator bin on Nov. 12, a week after the election, and another 125 uncounted ballots in a courier bag the first week of December. The investigation did not shed any light on how the ballots were missed, saying the mistake appears to have been 'primarily a process and training failure that could have been avoided' by keeping logs of courier bags and sealed envelopes at the polling place and training poll workers on the types of courier bags used to transport absentee ballots. Witzel-Behl's office still had opportunities to count the ballots after they were discovered but never did, the investigation concluded. The office didn't notify the Wisconsin Elections Commission of the oversight until Dec. 18, almost a month and a half after the election and well after results were certified on Nov. 29. Witzel-Behl told investigators that she told two staff members to contact the commission on Nov. 12. But the staffers said she never directed them to do that. A staffer whose name was redacted from the investigative summary said that he tried to inform the Dane County Clerk's office in-person on Nov. 13 but that office had no evidence that anyone presented the issue. Witzel-Behl told investigators she wasn't aware of any uncounted votes until the week of Dec. 10, even though she apparently sent an email to her staff on Nov. 27 to keep the ballots sealed and record the voters as having participated. She said that her deputy clerk told her there were uncounted ballots during the week of Dec. 10. The deputy told investigators no such conversation took place. The investigation concluded that Witzel-Behl failed to demonstrate care and efficiency in the performance of her duties, prepare her office to deal with significant election administration issues, provide clear direction on handling uncounted ballots and maintain processes that allow every legal vote to count. Her failure to directly notify the county clerk, the state elections commission, the city attorney and the mayor's office amounted to violations of polices requiring employees to work efficiently and barring them from preventing others from carrying out their duties, the investigation concluded. The uncounted votes would not have made a difference in any race or referendums question, but the investigators still called the oversight 'an unprecedented failure of the election process.' Four voters whose ballots weren't counted have filed claims for $175,000 each, the first step toward a class-action lawsuit. The state elections commission's investigation continues. Commission leaders announced earlier this month that they had deposed Witzel-Behl and planned to question more city workers.
Associated Press
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Wisconsin clerk who failed to count November votes violated multiple policies, investigators say
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The former clerk who somehow failed to count nearly 200 ballots in Wisconsin's capital city didn't break any laws but did violate multiple policies and her contractual duty to supervise elections and maintain professional standards, the results of a city-led investigation released Tuesday show. Madison City Clerk Maribeth Witzel-Behl resigned earlier this month amid city and state investigations into her conduct during the November elections. She hasn't spoken publicly about the uncounted ballots since they came to light in January, and it is unclear if she has hired an attorney. A possible telephone listing for her has been disconnected. She did not immediately respond to a Facebook message from The Associated Press on Tuesday seeking comment on the city findings. According to the investigation, Dane County canvassers discovered 68 uncounted absentee ballots in a tabulator bin on Nov. 12, a week after the election, and another 125 uncounted ballots in a courier bag the first week of December. The investigation did not shed any light on how the ballots were missed, saying the mistake appears to have been 'primarily a process and training failure that could have been avoided' by keeping logs of courier bags and sealed envelopes at the polling place and training poll workers on the types of courier bags used to transport absentee ballots. Witzel-Behl's office still had opportunities to count the ballots after they were discovered but never did, the investigation concluded. The office didn't notify the Wisconsin Elections Commission of the oversight until Dec. 18, almost a month and a half after the election and well after results were certified on Nov. 29. Witzel-Behl told investigators that she told two staff members to contact the commission on Nov. 12. But the staffers said she never directed them to do that. A staffer whose name was redacted from the investigative summary said that he tried to inform the Dane County Clerk's office in-person on Nov. 13 but that office had no evidence that anyone presented the issue. Witzel-Behl told investigators she wasn't aware of any uncounted votes until the week of Dec. 10, even though she apparently sent an email to her staff on Nov. 27 to keep the ballots sealed and record the voters as having participated. She said that her deputy clerk told her there were uncounted ballots during the week of Dec. 10. The deputy told investigators no such conversation took place. The investigation concluded that Witzel-Behl failed to demonstrate care and efficiency in the performance of her duties, prepare her office to deal with significant election administration issues, provide clear direction on handling uncounted ballots and maintain processes that allow every legal vote to count. Her failure to directly notify the county clerk, the state elections commission, the city attorney and the mayor's office amounted to violations of polices requiring employees to work efficiently and barring them from preventing others from carrying out their duties, the investigation concluded. The uncounted votes would not have made a difference in any race or referendums question, but the investigators still called the oversight 'an unprecedented failure of the election process.' Four voters whose ballots weren't counted have filed claims for $175,000 each, the first step toward a class-action lawsuit. The state elections commission's investigation continues. Commission leaders announced earlier this month that they had deposed Witzel-Behl and planned to question more city workers.
