Madison Reporter

The City of Madison has revealed the discovery of 193 unprocessed absentee ballots from the November 5, 2024 election. Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway addressed this issue in a public statement released on December 26, highlighting the discrepancy as "unacceptable" despite it not affecting any election results or referendums.

Rhodes-Conway emphasized the city's commitment to safe and accurate elections, noting that this oversight falls short of the high standards expected by residents. The Mayor's Office was informed about these unprocessed ballots on December 20, following an internal timeline detailing key dates related to their discovery.

The initial discovery occurred on November 12 when Madison Clerk’s Office personnel found a sealed courier bag with 68 unprocessed absentee ballots. A second set containing 125 ballots was found during a ballot reconciliation process on December 3. On December 18, the Clerk’s Office contacted the Wisconsin Election Commission for guidance.

By December 19, communication between legal representatives began when an attorney from the Wisconsin Election Commission reached out to Madison City Attorney Michael Haas. It wasn't until December 20 that Haas informed Mayor Rhodes-Conway's staff about the situation.

In response, Chief of Staff Sam Munger instructed Clerk Maribeth Witzel-Behl to prepare a public statement. This led to efforts by city officials to individually contact affected voters and apologize for the oversight.

Mayor Rhodes-Conway assured voters that corrective measures would be implemented to prevent similar occurrences in future elections and pledged transparency throughout this process.

"Today, the Madison Clerk’s Office released a statement alerting the public of 193 unprocessed absentee ballots found after November 5, 2024," said Rhodes-Conway. "This oversight is a significant departure from the high standard our residents expect and must be addressed and avoided in future elections."

"We plan to conduct a thorough review of the City’s election policies and procedures," she added, committing her office to maintaining election integrity in Madison.