Wisconsin absentee ballot duplicate error investigation

The City of Madison acknowledged that a “data processing error” led to the issuance of duplicate ballots, which were sent across ten wards instead of being confined to a single ward as initially reported. City officials stated that the duplicate ballots have identical barcodes, preventing them from being counted more than once. However, Tiffany has raised questions about the accuracy of this claim, asserting that some of the duplicate ballots lacked barcodes entirely. The incident has sparked concerns about the transparency and reliability of election administration in Madison, a historically Democratic stronghold, especially in light of previous controversies surrounding election processes in the state.

Details of the Error

• Nature of the Error: The duplicate ballots were the result of an unsuccessful file merge, which mistakenly copied voter files instead of merging them.
• City’s Response: Madison officials quickly notified affected voters and assured that only one ballot per voter would be accepted, as the voting system is designed to reject duplicate barcodes.
• Tiffany’s Demands: In his correspondence to the city clerk, Tiffany demanded clarity on the error’s discovery, the total number of affected ballots, and whether law enforcement would be involved in investigating the matter.

Political Context

The issue arises in a politically sensitive environment, as Wisconsin is a key battleground state that narrowly voted for President Biden in 2020. The state’s election processes have been scrutinized in the past, particularly following the 2020 presidential election, where allegations of irregularities were raised but ultimately found to be unfounded by various audits. With absentee voting underway for the upcoming election, the handling of this incident could have implications for voter confidence and electoral outcomes in the state.