The Wisconsin Elections Commission plans to send a letter thanking the Milwaukee Elections Commission for its promised release of documents by this Friday related to an error at Milwaukee Central Count on the night of the recent primary.
On Friday, the MEC acknowledged that a team led by its deputy director mistakenly selected and downloaded an audit log instead of election results on five of nine tabulators at its central count facility on the state’s primary election night, leading to a delay in reporting unofficial results.
The WEC had planned to vote at its Monday meeting to approve a letter asking the MEC to release documents but the MEC preemptively sent a promise to release those documents.
The WEC plans to review the Milwaukee documents and see if further action is necessary. Those documents will include an audit log that will show if any action was taken on the machines between the first download of data and second download.
“I know I’m not supposed to make bets on voting but I bet anybody $100 that there will be a major problem with the November ’26 election at central count,” Commissioner Robert Spindell said during Monday’s meeting.
Commission Vice Chair Mark Thomsen, however, said that the hour delay in results on election night was simply a delay and he believes that all votes were counted, unlike an issue in Madison where nearly 200 ballots were not counted in the 2024 presidential election.
“The city has answered every question and it’s transparent and it’s there,” Thomsen said.
He added that he believes the WEC should not “unfairly attack people who have a very tough job.”
He was against the WEC sending its originally planned letter, saying that the MEC already had responded and that “crosses a line into witch hunting from investigation.”
