Racine ballots missing municipal judge race; corrected ballots planned
RACINE, Wis. - The City of Racine is notifying voters about an issue with ballots for the April 7 election after discovering a municipal judge race was omitted.
What we know:
City election staff on Wednesday, March 25, said the uncontested Municipal Judge race, featuring Judge Rob Weber, was left off ballots printed and distributed through the Racine County Clerk’s Office. Officials said the city did not have an opportunity to review the final ballot before printing.
Early voting is already underway, including mailed absentee ballots and in-person absentee voting that began this week.
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City officials said the omission will not impact the outcome of the race because it is uncontested, but they are taking steps to ensure voters can still participate.
A corrected ballot — referred to as "Ballot B" — will be issued to voters who already received absentee ballots. Voters who return the corrected ballot will have it counted in place of their original ballot.
Officials are also working with state election authorities to determine how to address voters who already cast ballots in person.
Wisconsin Supreme Court debate canceled, rescheduled; 2 weeks to election
A debate between the candidates for Wisconsin Supreme Court that was scheduled for Wednesday night, March 25, was rescheduled for Thursday, April 2, just days before the election.
Voters who choose not to return a corrected ballot will still have their original ballot counted, though no vote will be recorded for the municipal judge race.
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The Racine County Clerk’s Office is reprinting corrected ballots for future voting.
What they're saying:
"We are taking every measure possible to ensure that no one is disenfranchised," said City Clerk Tara McMenamin. "We will be reaching out using phone, email, and all available contact information to ensure that every eligible voter in the City of Racine who has already submitted a ballot receives a corrected ballot and the opportunity to vote in the Municipal Judge race."
City officials say voters who have already cast ballots do not need to take immediate action. Affected voters will be contacted directly once corrected ballots are available.
No other races on the ballot were affected.
The Source: The City of Racine provided information in this report.