MEQUON, Wis. — The Mequon Board of Canvass complied with a Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC) order this week, adding back five ballots to the vote tally in April's election it had initially excluded due to witness address requirements.
The ballots were initially denied by the city's Board of Canvass because witness addresses on the envelopes did not include the state or zip codes.
During it's April 30 meeting, the WEC said that a street address alone is sufficient to locate a witness and ordered the city to re-apply the standard.
The city clerk's office says the added ballots do not change the outcome of any race, including the state Supreme Court race and local contests for Mequon alderpeople and the school board. They hope the ambiguity around witness address requirements will be clarified before the next election.
Watch: Mequon neighbors praise electoral counting process following inclusion of five April ballots after state order
Mequon neighbor Hyndie Steck said she was relieved to hear the ballots had been counted.
"I think it shows there's integrity in the process, that there are a number of eyes on our elections," Steck said.
Fellow Mequon resident William Wandsnider said the review, while involving a small number of ballots, carries larger significance.
"In this case, maybe five votes is not a big deal. But certainly in some local elections, sometimes who gets elected is determined by one or two votes," Wandsnider said. "It does represent a standard of how things will be looked at in the future when there could be a major issue."
The Ozaukee County Board of Canvassers met Thursday afternoon to accept the new tally.
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