(The Center Square) – The Republican Party of Wisconsin wants the Wisconsin Election Commission to conduct an investigation into how 152 duplicate absentee ballots were mailed out by the city of Green Bay before the April election.
The clerk has stated that no duplicate ballots were returned or counted, so is no need for an investigation, claiming that the law prohibits multiple voting but does not say anything about the multiple issuance of ballots.
The party, however, believes that the issuance of the duplicate ballots was illegal. The investigation request was filed on behalf of Theresa Sipes against City Clerk Celestine Jeffreys in her official capacity.
“The city of Green Bay clerk is attempting to absolve herself of her legal duty in her reply to the original complaint by suggesting no investigations should follow this serious procedural error that enabled over 150 voters to be illegally mailed duplicate absentee ballots,” Republican Party of Wisconsin Chairman Brian Schimming said in a statement. “Laws exist to protect election integrity, and when they are violated, an investigation is warranted to prevent future breaches, ensure accountability, and maintain public confidence that election laws are applied consistently by every official.”
The party said that procedural issues like the double ballots cannot go unaddressed or it would undermine election protections related to absentee ballots.
In her response to an initial filing, Jeffrys wrote that “there was minimal voter confusion, no double voting, and no increased risk of . . . fraud.”
The party argued that Jeffrys claim about issuing multiple ballots not being a violation is incorrect.
“As set forth at length in the Complaint, Wisconsin’s absentee ballot statutes are structured around the fundamental principle that each qualified elector receives one – and only one – ballot per election,” the complaint said.
