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WEC to discuss Milwaukee primary results delay
State election officials are demanding answers about the delay in results during the August primary in Milwaukee. They also want to know what is being done to prevent it from happening again.
MILWAUKEE - Wisconsin election officials are looking for answers about the delay in results during the August primary in Milwaukee – they also want to know what is being done to prevent it from happening again.
The Wisconsin Elections Commission will take up the issue at its Monday meeting at 9 a.m. FOX6 News already has a look at the response from the City of Milwaukee's election chief.
What we know:
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 goes on to say that election staff accidentally downloaded audit logs instead of the actual vote totals onto memory sticks for five out of nine tabulators.
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.
In the letter, Gutierrez acknowledged that this team led by her deputy director "mistakenly downloaded those files, rather than the results." That letter also says that this error "did not affect the security and accuracy of the underlying election results."
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On Monday morning, state election officials will decide whether to issue their own formal letter requesting three actions from Milwaukee:
- 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.
The MEC says it plans to make records related to primary night available by Sept. 4. – which is this Friday.
During Monday's meeting, officials could also update the draft letter with any edits directed by the commission before sending it out to Milwaukee election officials.
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 was gathered from Paulina Gutierrez, the Milwaukee Elections Commission, a letter sent to the Wisconsin Elections Commission and the Wisconsin Elections Commission.