Absentee voting errors: Duplicate ballots, Harris omitted, parties flipped

Karah Rucker

THERE’S BEEN A FEW EARLY ERRORS IN SENDING OUT ABSENTEE BALLOTS REPORTED BY A HANDFUL OF CITIES ACROSS THE U.S.

FROM THOUSANDS OF DUPLICATE BALLOTS SENT OUT TO VOTERS IN WISCONSIN.

TO LOCAL CANDIDATES IN MINNESOTA LISTED UNDER THE WRONG PARTY.

AND A TYPO IN TIM WALZ’ NAME AND THE OMISSION OF HARRIS’ NAME IN BALLOTS SENT TO OVERSEAS AND MILITARY VOTERS.

ALL OF THESE ISSUES –

HAVE SINCE BEEN RECTIFIED AND ELECTION OFFICIALS SAY THE ERRORS WILL NOT IMPACT ANY VOTES.

LAST WEEK – ABSENTEE VOTING BEGAN IN WISCONSIN.

BUT IN THE CITY OF MADISON – 

2,215 BALLOTS WERE SENT TO VOTERS **TWICE.

THE CITY INITIALLY SAYING ONE WARD WAS IMPACTED –

BUT THAT QUICKLY BALLOONED TO TEN.

MADISON’S COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR “DYLAN BROGAN” SAYING THE CITY HAS “BEEN OPEN” ABOUT THE MISTAKE – AND THAT SAFEGUARDS ARE IN PLACE TO PREVENT DUPLICATE VOTES FROM BEING CAST BY ONE PERSON.

“The City of Madison really prides itself on being extremely transparent in our election administration. On the day we found out a clerical error occurred, we immediately reached out to voters. Each absentee ballot has unique barcodes and can only be scanned once. If it’s scanned twice, it’s rejected.”

IT’S NOT JUST WISCONSIN WITH EARLY BALLOT ERRORS.

IN MINNESOTA –

TWO CANDIDATES RUNNING FOR A STATE HOUSE SEAT HAD THEIR PARTY AFFILIATION **FLIPPED ON BALLOTS ALREADY SENT TO Faribault County VOTERS. 

IN Wabasha CountY – VOTERS ARE RECEIVING BALLOTS WITH DISTRICT RACES FLIPPED.

CANDIDATES LISTED FOR THEM TO VOTE ON – AREN’T EVEN THE ONES WHO WOULD REPRESENT THEM.

IN BOTH CASES – LOCAL ELECTION OFFICIALS ARE GOING THROUGH THE COURTS TO REPRINT BALLOTS.

IN FLORIDA –

WEST PALM BEACH COUNTY RAN ACROSS A TYPO IN THEIR ELECTRONIC BALLOTS EMAILED TO MILITARY MEMBERS AND OVERSEAS VOTERS.

HARRIS’ RUNNING MATE TIM WALZ’ NAME WAS INCORRECTLY LISTED AS “TOM” ON ABOUT 250 BALLOTS.

THE LOCAL ELECTIONS OFFICE SAYS THE ERROR WOULD NOT AFFECT THE “PROPER TABULATION” OF BALLOTS AND SAID EVERY VOTE WOULD COUNT AS A VOTER INTENDED.

AND IN MONTANA –

HARRIS’ NAME WAS OMITTED FROM BALLOTS ON THE STATE’S “ELECTRONIC ABSENTEE SYSTEM” – USED FOR MILITARY AND OVERSEAS VOTERS.

THE SYSTEM WAS FIXED HOURS AFTER THE ISSUE WAS REPORTED.

SOME REPUBLICANS ARE CALLING FOR AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE DUPLICATE BALLOTS IN WISCONSIN.

SOME DEMOCRATS ARE CALLING FOR THE FIRING OF ELECTION OFFICIALS IN MONTANA OVER THE OMISSION OF HARRIS’ NAME.

THE ERRORS – WHILE OFFICIALS SAY ALL ARE FIXED –

HAVE CREATED REACTION FROM BOTH POLITICAL SIDES – GIVEN THE CURRENT CLIMATE OF HEIGHTENED SCRUTINY OVER ELECTION SECURITY –

40 DAYS AWAY FROM ELECTION DAY.

THANKS FOR WATCHING OUR NEWS UPDATE.

FOR MORE ELECTION RELATED COVERAGE THAT MATTERS TO YOU –

DOWNLOAD THE STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS MOBILE APP AND SIGN UP FOR ALERTS.

FOR STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS – I’M KARAH RUCKER.