Latest news with #MaribethWitzelBehl
The Independent
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Wisconsin elections officials find clerk broke laws over uncounted ballots
Wisconsin elections officials declared Thursday that the former clerk of the state's capital city broke several laws related to not counting nearly 200 absentee ballots in the November presidential election, but they stopped short of recommending that criminal charges be brought. The bipartisan Wisconsin Elections Commission voted 5-1 to accept a report finding that the former Madison clerk broke five election laws. But the investigation was not a criminal probe and the commission does not have the power to bring charges. The report does not recommend that prosecutors do so. Charges could be brought by the Dane County attorney's office or the state Department of Justice. Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne said his office had not received a referral, but if it did it would review it. DOJ spokesperson Riley Vetterkind did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment on whether it would be bringing charges. No outcome of any race was affected by the missing ballots. Maribeth Witzel-Behl resigned as Madison city clerk in April amid investigations into the missing ballots. Wisconsin Elections Commission Chair Ann Jacobs, a Democrat, called the incident a 'rather shocking dereliction of just ordinary responsibility." Republican Commissioner Bob Spindell, who cast the lone vote against accepting the report, said he blamed the problem on an extremely complicated system in the clerk's office and poor management. 'It's not something I think the clerk should be crucified for,' he said. The investigation determined that two bags of uncounted absentee ballots likely never made it to the poll sites where they should have been counted. 'There was just no tracking of these absentee ballots," Jacobs said. The clerk's office did not 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. The elections commission report concluded that the former clerk broke state law for failing to properly supervise an election; not providing the most recent current registration information for pollbooks in two wards; improperly handing the return of absentee ballots; not properly canvassing the returns as it pertained to the 193 uncounted ballots; and failing to provide sufficient information for the municipal board of canvassers to do its work. The report blamed a 'confluence of errors' and said that Madison did not have procedures in place to track the number of absentee ballots going to a polling place. It also said there was a 'complete lack of leadership' in the clerk's office. 'These are mistakes that could have been avoided," said Republican commissioner Don Millis. Madison city attorney and interim clerk Michael Haas said the city did not contest the findings of the report. 'The most important asset we have is the trust of the voters and that requires complete transparency and open coordination with partners when mistakes happen,' Haas said in testimony submitted to the commission. 'That did not happen in this case.' Madison has already implemented numerous safeguards and procedures that were in place for elections earlier this year to ensure that all eligible absentee ballots are accounted for, Haas said. The recommendations in the report for further actions exceed what is required under state law and are not within the authority of the commission to order, Hass testified. He urged the commission to delay a vote. The commission voted unanimously to give Madison until Aug. 7 to respond before voting a week later on whether to order additional steps to be taken. Four voters whose ballots weren't counted have filed claims for $175,000 each, the first step toward a class-action lawsuit. Their attorney attended Thursday's hearing but did not testify.
Al Arabiya
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Former wisconsin clerk who failed to count ballots broke laws, the state's elections commission says
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – A confluence of errors, including unlawful actions by the former clerk in Wisconsin's capital city, led to nearly 200 absentee ballots not being counted in the November presidential election, an investigation by the state elections commission released Wednesday concluded. Maribeth Witzel-Behl resigned as Madison city clerk in April amid investigations by the city and the Wisconsin Elections Commission into the missing ballots. No outcome of any race was affected by the missing ballots. The city's investigation released in April determined that Witzel-Behl didn't break any laws but did violate multiple policies and her contractual duty to supervise elections and maintain professional standards. But the elections commission report concluded that there is probable cause that Witzel-Behl broke five election laws. The election commission's investigation was not a criminal probe. Whether the former clerk is actually charged with any crimes would be up to the Dane County district attorney. The elections commission report concluded that Witzel-Behl broke state law for failing to properly supervise an election, not providing the most recent current registration information for pollbooks in two wards, improperly handling the return of absentee ballots, not properly canvassing the returns as it pertained to the 193 uncounted ballots, and failing to provide sufficient information for the municipal board of canvassers to do its work. 'The failure to count the 193 ballots in Madison was a result of a confluence of errors,' the report concluded. It determined that Madison did not have procedures to place to track the number of absentee ballots going to a polling place, and there was a complete lack of leadership in the clerk's office. 'Instead of working to solve the problem, Witzel-Behl went on vacation for weeks after the election,' the report said. 'These ballots were treated as unimportant and a reconciliation nuisance rather than as the essential part of our democracy they represent,' the report said. The report also said that an unauthorized person was found sleeping in the building owned by Dane County and used by the city to store ballots. According to one of the workers at the facility, that person could have accessed the room where the security carts were stored. On multiple occasions, workers found unlocked doors at the building, a former brewery near the Madison airport, the report said. The report makes seven recommended orders for the city to comply with to improve its operations. The Wisconsin Elections Commission is scheduled to vote on whether to accept the report's findings and recommendations at its July 17 meeting. Madison city attorney and acting clerk Michael Haas said in a statement that he hoped the report can provide lessons that 'we and other Wisconsin clerks can learn to prevent similar errors in the future.' The city has already implemented additional safeguards and procedures that were in place for elections earlier this year to ensure that all eligible absentee ballots are accounted for, Haas said. He declined further comment until after the commission's vote on the report. The elections commission investigation was led by Democrat Ann Jacobs, the commission's chair, and former chair Republican Don Millis. They are both attorneys. This marks the first time in the eight-year history of the commission that it has used its investigatory authority. The investigation determined that two bags of uncounted absentee ballots likely never made it to the wards where they should have been counted. 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 clerk's office did not 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 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. Four voters whose ballots weren't counted have filed claims for $175,000 each, the first step toward a class-action lawsuit.
Washington Post
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Former Wisconsin clerk who failed to count ballots broke laws, the state's elections commission says
MADISON, Wis. — A 'confluence of errors' including unlawful actions by the former clerk in Wisconsin's capital city led to nearly 200 absentee ballots not being counted in the November presidential election, an investigation by the state elections commission released Wednesday concluded. Maribeth Witzel-Behl resigned as Madison city clerk in April amid investigations by the city and the Wisconsin Elections Commission into the missing ballots. No outcome of any race was affected by the missing ballots.
The Independent
09-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Former Wisconsin clerk who failed to count ballots broke laws, the state's elections commission says
A 'confluence of errors' including unlawful actions by the former clerk in Wisconsin 's capital city led to nearly 200 absentee ballots not being counted in the November presidential election, an investigation by the state elections commission released Wednesday concluded. Maribeth Witzel-Behl resigned as Madison city clerk in April amid investigations by the city and the Wisconsin Elections Commission into the missing ballots. No outcome of any race was affected by the missing ballots. The city's investigation, released in April, determined that Witzel-Behl didn't break any laws but did violate multiple policies and her contractual duty to supervise elections and maintain professional standards. But the elections commission report concluded that there is probable cause that Witzel-Behl broke five election laws. The election commission's investigation was not a criminal probe. Whether the former clerk is actually charged with any crimes would be up to the Dane County district attorney. The elections commission report concluded that Witzel-Behl broke state law for failing to properly supervise an election; not providing the most recent current registration information for pollbooks in two wards; improperly handing the return of absentee ballots; not properly canvassing the returns as it pertained to the 193 uncounted ballots; and failing to provide sufficient information for the municipal board of canvassers to do its work. 'The failure to count the 193 ballots in Madison was a result of a confluence of errors,' the report concluded. It determined that Madison did not have procedures to place to track the number of absentee ballots going to a polling place and there was a 'complete lack of leadership' in the clerk's office. Instead of working to solve the problem, Witzel-Behl went on vacation for weeks after the election, the report said. 'These ballots were treated as unimportant and a reconciliation nuisance, rather than as the essential part of our democracy they represent,' the report said. The report also said that an 'unauthorized person' was found sleeping in the building owned by Dane County and used by the city to store ballots. According to one of the workers at the facility, that person could have accessed the room where the security carts were stored. On multiple occasions, workers found unlocked doors at the building, a former brewery near the Madison airport, the report said. The report makes seven recommended orders for the city to comply with to improve its operations. The Wisconsin Elections Commission is scheduled to vote on whether to accept the report's findings and recommendations at its July 17 meeting. Madison city attorney and acting clerk Michael Haas said in a statement that he hoped the report 'can provide lessons that we and other Wisconsin clerks can learn to prevent similar errors in the future.' The city has already implemented additional safeguards and procedures that were in place for elections earlier this year to ensure that all eligible absentee ballots are accounted for, Haas said. He declined further comment until after the commission's vote on the report. The elections commission investigation was led by Democrat Ann Jacobs, the commission's chair, and former chair Republican Don Millis. They are both attorneys. This marks the first time in the eight-year history of the commission that it has used its investigatory authority. The investigation determined that two bags of uncounted absentee ballots likely never made it to the wards where they should have been counted. 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 clerk's office did not 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 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. Four voters whose ballots weren't counted have filed claims for $175,000 each, the first step toward a class-action lawsuit.
Associated Press
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Wisconsin elections commission says former Madison clerk broke laws
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A 'confluence of errors' including unlawful actions by the former clerk in Wisconsin's capital city led to nearly 200 absentee ballots not being counted in the November presidential election, an investigation by the state elections commission released Wednesday concluded. Maribeth Witzel-Behl resigned as Madison city clerk in April amid investigations by the city and the Wisconsin Elections Commission into the missing ballots. No outcome of any race was affected by the missing ballots. The city's investigation, released in April, determined that Witzel-Behl didn't break any laws but did violate multiple policies and her contractual duty to supervise elections and maintain professional standards. But the elections commission report concluded that there is probable cause that Witzel-Behl broke five election laws. Whether she is actually charged with any crimes would be up to the Dane County district attorney. The elections commission report concluded that Witzel-Behl broke state law for failing to properly supervise an election; not providing the most recent current registration information for pollbooks in two wards; improperly handing the return of absentee ballots; not properly canvassing the returns as it pertained to the 193 uncounted ballots; and failing to provide sufficient information for the municipal board of canvassers to do its work. 'The failure to count the 193 ballots in Madison was a result of a confluence of errors,' the report concluded. It determined that Madison did not have procedures to place to track the number of absentee ballots going to a polling place and there was a 'complete lack of leadership' in the clerk's office. Instead of working to solve the problem, Witzel-Behl went on vacation for weeks after the election, the report said. 'These ballots were treated as unimportant and a reconciliation nuisance, rather than as the essential part of our democracy they represent,' the report said. The report also said that an 'unauthorized person' was found sleeping in the building owned by Dane County and used by the city to store ballots. According to one of the workers at the facility, that person could have accessed the room where the security carts were stored. On multiple occasions, workers found unlocked doors at the building, a former brewery near the Madison airport, the report said. The report makes seven recommended orders for the city to comply with to improve its operations. The Wisconsin Elections Commission is scheduled to vote on whether to accept the report's findings and recommendations at its July 17 meeting. Madison city attorney and acting clerk Michael Haas said in a statement that he hoped the report 'can provide lessons that we and other Wisconsin clerks can learn to prevent similar errors in the future.' The city has already implemented additional safeguards and procedures that were in place for elections earlier this year to ensure that all eligible absentee ballots are accounted for, Haas said. He declined further comment until after the commission's vote on the report. The elections commission investigation was led by Democrat Ann Jacobs, the commission's chair, and former chair Republican Don Millis. They are both attorneys. This marks the first time in the eight-year history of the commission that it has used its investigatory authority. The investigation determined that two bags of uncounted absentee ballots likely never made it to the wards where they should have been counted. 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 clerk's office did not 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 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. Four voters whose ballots weren't counted have filed claims for $175,000 each, the first step toward a class-action lawsuit.
