Milwaukee Election Commission: 269 absentee ballots received Wednesday

MILWAUKEE - The Milwaukee Election Commission said 269 people who tried submitting absentee ballots by mail won't have their votes counted, but it's not because they did anything wrong – it looks to be on the U.S. Postal Service.

Ballots delivered after election day

What they're saying:

Milwaukee Election Commission Executive Director Paulina Gutierrez said USPS delivered those 269 ballots on Wednesday morning despite repeated efforts from her office asking if the postal service had any outstanding ballots.

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State law says election officials can only count ballots that are in their possession by the time polls close, which is 8 p.m. on the day of the election. So even though most of the ballots received on Wednesday are postmarked April 6, the day before the election, they don't count.

Gutierrez said USPS delivered 20 absentee ballots on election day, and she called that number "unusually low."

The commission recommends absentee voters get their ballots in the mail around a week or two before election day. Still, Gutierrez made clear that the voters aren't at fault here.

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"What I do want to make clear is, as the executive director of the Milwaukee Election Commission, our vision is that every eligible vote counts," she said. "The fact that we have voters here who followed the rules and did everything that they were supposed to do, their ballot, their vote did not count. And that is deeply unsettling."

Gutierrez said she's been in touch with USPS and said the postal service is investigating what went wrong. She noted that the commission is typically in constant communication with USPS on election days.

"We'll actually sometimes pick them up too, not just have them delivered. So, we have a strong relationship with them in terms of communication," Gutierrez said. "We have those conversations throughout the day. We called up until the Post Office closed, and they had reported to us that there were no more ballots."

Gutierrez said the commission is now working to restore voter confidence ahead of upcoming elections.

"Right now, we're reviewing if there are ways to expand our drop box program to help ensure that those that get their ballots by mail will arrive to us in time," Gutierrez said.

Gutierrez also encouraged absentee voters to contact her office if they are concerned about their vote. Voters can also check ballot status through the state’s MyVote system, though updates can take up to 45 days.

U.S. Postal Service statement

What they're saying:

FOX6 News reached out to USPS to learn why the ballots were delivered late, but the agency did not respond by Thursday's deadline for this story. On Friday, USPS provided the following statement:

"The U.S. Postal Service is committed to the secure, timely delivery of the nation’s Election Mail and is fulfilling its role in the electoral process when voters choose to utilize vote by mail as a part of the election system."

"We were made aware today of ballots received by the Milwaukee Election Commission after Election Day. The Postal Service takes these issues very seriously, and we are working with local election officials."

"Our longstanding recommendation to voters who choose to vote by mail is to mail early – before Election Day, and at least one week before the deadline by which your completed ballot must be received by your election office. Some states may recommend allowing even more time for mailing completed ballots."

Editor's note: This story was updated to include the USPS statement, which was not received by the time the video above aired on FOX6 News. Additional updates were made for clarity.

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