Wisconsin Supreme Court update: recount and investigation called for amid “found” votes
Vote totals in Wisconsin changed dramatically as uncounted votes from Waukesha County broke heavily for the incumbent Justice David Prosser.
Over 14,000 votes from Waukesha County went unreported in official tallies, with the error being first recognized on Thursday. County Clerk Kathy Nickolaus said that vote totals from the city of Brookfield were not saved on her computer when she submitted the final tally. Of the 14,315 uncounted votes, 10,859 went for Prosser and 3,456 to Kloppenburg, giving Prosser a lead of over 7,000 votes. Throughout the state county recounts resulted in minor vote shifts, but none as large as the Waukesha oversight.
The State Government Accountability Board announced Friday that they would be sending investigators to Waukesha County to look into the matter. Kloppenburg has also filed an open records request for documents related to the Waukesha County voting results.
Network partners have come out supporting a recount and investigation:
Common Cause Wisconsin has called for a full investigation and recount of the election. Executive director Jay Heck said in a press release: “Only after thorough investigations are completed and a statewide recount of all of the votes in the Wisconsin Supreme Court election has been completed, verified and certified should the citizens of Wisconsin be satisfied and confident that the election process was conducted and completed with integrity and that the result was honest and accurate.”
League of Women Voters Wisconsin says “The League of Women Voters of Wisconsin Education Fund supports calls for a full investigation of the vote counting errors in Waukesha County in the April 5 Supreme Court election… The Waukesha County Clerk was criticized last summer for storing the county’s election data collection and storage system on stand-alone personal computers accessible only in her office. This by itself shows a disregard for transparent election administration and demonstrates the need for an investigation.”
Read more:
Common Cause Wisconsin: Full investigation of “found” votes in Waukesha County & full state recount must occur
League of Women Voters of Wisconsin: Statement on Waukesha County vote counting error (PDF)
Read ongoing commentary and news via Network partner Wisconsin Democracy Campaign’s Twitter
Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel: Corrected Brookfield tally puts Prosser ahead after 7,500 vote gain
Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel: State elections officials dispatched to examine Waukesha County count
WisPolitics.com: Kloppenburg campaign statement
