Wisconsin Elections Commission Ends Green Bay Probe, Reviews Milwaukee Error

The Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC) took action Monday to resolve two separate election administration failures in Green Bay and Milwaukee. The commission voted to conclude its investigation into the issuance of duplicate absentee ballots in Green Bay during the April and August primaries. While the broader probe ended, the WEC deferred a decision on whether former City Clerk Celestine Jeffreys violated the law after staff found probable cause regarding 152 duplicate ballots sent in April. In the August primary, Green Bay admitted at least 244 voters received duplicates, with data suggesting up to 390 labels were reprinted.

Green Bay officials stated only one ballot per voter was counted and have since implemented a verification process requiring a second person to approve label reprinting. The Center for Election Confidence criticized the WEC's decision to end the probe, calling it premature.

Separately, the WEC addressed a reporting delay during Milwaukee's August primary. Milwaukee Election Commission Director Paulina Gutierrez admitted staff mistakenly downloaded audit logs instead of vote totals for five of nine tabulators, stalling the count of approximately 27,000 ballots for one hour. Gutierrez stated the error did not affect security or accuracy. While the WEC declined to issue a formal request for further details, Vice Chairman Bob Spindell called for a full investigation into the lack of transparency during the stall.