MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Election Commission calls for the U.S. Postal Service to investigate why absentee ballots went missing. The executive director also warns some people who mailed in absentee ballots on time that might not have their vote counted.
Milwaukee resident Thomas Ryan got his absentee ballot the day after the election.
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"I got it at like 4 o'clock today," said Ryan, who ended up going to vote at the polls in-person.
According to the Milwaukee Election Commission, dozens, if not hundreds of other voters, never saw their ballots.
"I submitted my request for my absentee ballot, which never showed up in the mail," said Michelle Johns, who ended up going to the polls to vote.
The Milwaukee Election Commission is now demanding the USPS investigate why some ballots never showed up even though officials say they were put in the mail. But voters say they want more answers.
"Not just the post office, but everybody involved from the processors to the post office needs to be investigated," said Ryan.
Voters in Fox Point, Appleton, Oshkosh, and Dane County have also complained of problems with absentee ballots.
The City of Milwaukee Election Commission Executive Director Neil Albrecht said the problems with absentee ballots do not end there. There are also questions about whether or not your vote will be counted even if you mailed it back, and it did not arrive on April 7th, Election Day.
According to Albrecht, some ballots are coming in Wednesday, the day after the election without a postmark. Some post offices do not put postmarks on mail. The ballots would clearly have been mailed on Election Day or earlier. However, he is now asking the state if they can count those ballots as votes.
"Not every ballot returned to us has a postmark on it," said Albrecht. "Do we have the ability to count those ballots, or will there be a literal interpretation of the U.S. Supreme Court decision that the ballot must have an April 7th postmark."
The election results will be tabulated on April 13th.