Wisconsin election: Milwaukee answered primary questions, WEC says
WEC: Milwaukee answered primary questions
Wisconsin elections officials looking for answers about a "human error" decided not to issue a formal letter to the Milwaukee Election Commission.
MILWAUKEE - Wisconsin elections officials looking for answers about a "human error" that delayed Milwaukee's August primary results decided not to issue a formal letter to the Milwaukee Election Commission on Monday.
State's election questions
Big picture view:
A Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC) draft requested that the city election commission share details about the error. That letter would have requested Milwaukee to:
- Release the audit logs to the public to prove no unauthorized machine activity happened during the delay.
- Detail staff training plans for future elections, including possible observer checklists.
- Consider testing or demonstrating the result-download process during pre-election public equipment tests before the November election.
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But on Monday, state elections commissioners said Milwaukee officials already answered all the state's questions in a six-page response sent Friday. The city's response included when and where the city's election office will share public records related to the error.
State elections commissioners approved a motion to write another letter on Monday. That letter acknowledges Milwaukee's response to keep public communication going.
What's next:
The Milwaukee Election Commission said it plans to make records related to primary night public by Friday, Sept. 4.
Milwaukee Election Commission details error during August Primary
The director of the Milwaukee Election Commission is explaining what went wrong during August's primary election that caused a delay in the results, and what's being done to make sure it doesn't happen again.
Milwaukee letter to state
The backstory:
In a letter sent to the Wisconsin Elections Commission Friday, Milwaukee Elections Commission Director Paulina Gutierrez wrote that "MEC takes responsibility for the error." The letter also said election staff accidentally downloaded audit logs instead of the actual vote totals onto memory sticks for five out of nine ballot tabulators.
In the letter, Gutierrez acknowledged that a team led by her deputy director "mistakenly downloaded those files, rather than the results." That letter also said the error "did not affect the security and accuracy of the underlying election results."
Portions of this article were formatted using A.I. FOX6’s reporter and an editor reviewed it for accuracy and tone prior to publishing.
The Source: Information in this story is from the Wisconsin Elections Commission and Milwaukee Election Commission.