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Wisconsin Election Commission reports thousands of absentee ballots not returned

Posted at 10:35 AM, May 19, 2020
and last updated 2020-05-19 11:51:25-04

WISCONSIN — In a Wisconsin Election Commission report filed Tuesday, the commission said over 100,000 absentee ballots were not returned during last month's election.

The report said there were several instances in several Wisconsin areas where absentee ballots were not sent to voters. The WEC also noted that technical issues resulted in over 2,000 requested absentee ballots not being sent to Milwaukee residents.

Of those affected voters, over 50 percent voted in the election by a replacement absentee ballot or in person.

"At a local level, the extraordinary volume placed enormous stress on election officials, elections systems, and the United States Postal Service (USPS)," the report said. "The final election data conclusively indicates that the election did not produce an unusual number unreturned or rejected ballots. Despite the overwhelming success of absentee voting as a whole, the experiences leading up to election day were not trouble-free and illuminated several critical areas for improvement."

A federal lawsuit filed on Monday is seeking changes to ensure the upcoming election in August and November can be held safely. The lawsuit is asking for a judge to order more poll workers be hired and every voter in Wisconsin receive an absentee ballot.

The Associated Press said that a WEC spokesperson declined to comment.

To read the entire report, click here.

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