A major election issue has emerged in Madison, Wisconsin, where 2,215 duplicate absentee ballots were mistakenly sent to voters in 10 wards. The city clerk’s office acknowledged the error, attributing it to a “data processing error” that resulted in identical files being merged, creating a list with double the names and addresses.
The error was discovered after an initial report that duplicate ballots were sent to a single ward. Republican Rep. Tom Tiffany, representing Wisconsin’s 7th congressional district, promptly called for an immediate and independent investigation, citing concerns about “the history of controversial and legally dubious election practices carried out by Madison officials in the past.”
Tiffany, in a letter to the City of Madison Clerk Maribeth Witzel-Behl, demanded answers and transparency regarding the scope of the blunder, emphasizing the need to restore public confidence in the city’s election administration and hold those responsible accountable.
However, city officials reassured the public that the situation is under control. They explained that the duplicate ballots have identical barcodes, ensuring that only one ballot per voter can be counted. Additionally, voters are being contacted individually to inform them of the error and urge them to submit only one ballot.
Deputy Clerk of the City of Madison, Jim Verbick, acknowledged the “human error” involved, stating that it stemmed from attempts to combine two files containing the same ballot style, leading to an unintended duplication instead of a proper merge. He further advised voters to destroy one of the ballots received, emphasizing that only one ballot should be submitted per voter.
While Tiffany’s concerns regarding past election practices in Madison have been highlighted, city officials maintain transparency in their actions and assert that no third party will be involved in the investigation at this time. They are actively responding to Tiffany’s concerns and providing detailed answers to all questions raised.
The incident has raised questions about election security in Madison, a city considered a Democratic stronghold. However, city officials are confident that the mistake has been addressed and that the integrity of the upcoming election will be maintained. The state elections commission reported that, as of Monday, 27,421 absentee ballots had been sent out, none of which had been returned. Brogan confirmed that no duplicate ballots had been returned since the error was discovered.
