Thousands of ballots from Wisconsin voters were not counted in the recent primary because of mailing problems and technical glitches.
Wisconsin held its controversial primary election in April during the height of the coronavirus pandemic. Many voters opted to file for absentee ballots rather than visiting the polls in person. A report from the Wisconsin Election Commission last week found that 2,693 absentee ballots were not properly counted because of technical difficulties.
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The technical error was triggered by state technical workers unknowingly restarting its system while clerks in Milwaukee attempted to print thousands of mailing labels for absentee ballots. The system-restart caused the process to start with a new pile of ballots. The nearly 2,700 that were being processed were not completed, and those voters did not receive their ballots in the mail.
An additional 1,600 ballots were not counted after being found in a mail processing center on the day after the election. The commission noted that the pandemic triggered unprecedented requests for absentee ballots and that many clerks struggled to keep up with the influx. The report warned that the upcoming primary elections in August and the general election in November could lead to even more demand for absentee ballots.
“This kind of volume would present terrific challenges for Wisconsin election officials at all levels,” the report stated.
Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, has embraced the idea of sending absentee ballots to every voter in the state ahead of the forthcoming elections, which could place a significant burden on the system. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also included vote-by-mail provisions in the HEROES Act, a coronavirus relief package passed by the House on Friday. Republicans have not been supportive of such measures, citing the vulnerability of vote-by-mail.
