Madison Reporter

The City of Madison Clerk’s Office has responded to a letter from Representative Tiffany regarding a recent ballot processing error. In their detailed reply, the office provided information about the nature of the error, its discovery, and steps taken to prevent future occurrences.

The Clerk's Office was alerted to the issue by voters who received duplicate ballots. "Our office was alerted to the error by voters who received duplicate ballots," stated Maribeth Witzel-Behl, City of Madison Clerk. An investigation revealed it was a data processing mistake involving one staff member.

The incident did not involve any criminal conduct, and law enforcement has not been contacted. "No. It is clear that this incident involved human error and involved no criminal conduct, so there is no reason to contact law enforcement," Witzel-Behl explained.

A total of 2,215 duplicate ballots were sent out across several wards due to an error in a single file with header code 41. The affected wards include 1, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, and 15. No other batches were duplicated or reported as problematic.

Regarding preservation of records related to the incident: "Yes. We preserve records under Wisconsin’s Open Records law and City of Madison records retention policy."

Witzel-Behl confirmed that no duplicate ballots have been returned to their office for investigation purposes.

Barcodes linked to voter profiles are printed on absentee ballot return envelopes rather than the ballots themselves. This system ensures accountability and allows voters to track whether their ballot was received.

In closing remarks addressing election integrity concerns: "When errors occur... we own up to them... Our staff works incredibly hard... in a professional, nonpartisan and fair manner."

This response aimed at ensuring transparency and maintaining confidence in the electoral process amidst increasing complexity and scrutiny faced by election officials today.