I continue to have significant concerns about the way our elections are handled. Too often, the rules are enforced differently depending on where you live. That's not fair. Whether you live in Milwaukee or Manitowish Waters, your ballot should be handled the same way.
Wisconsin statutes are clear that if a certificate is missing the address of a witness, the ballot may not be counted. However, that is not how ballots are handled by many clerks in our state.
While the Wisconsin Supreme Court didn’t take up the merits of the case former President Trump made in his lawsuit, in her dissent, Wisconsin Chief Justice Patience Roggensack noted that clerks were relying on guidance from an agency and not state law when told to write in missing information on ballots. The Chief Justice said guidance by the Wisconsin Election Commission is not law and does not carry the force of law.
Fixing problems on a ballot is a good thing. Who fixes those mistakes and whether or not that ballot gets fixed at all is important.
Currently, if there was a problem with an absentee ballot, that voter may not find out at all and their vote might not be counted. The statutes state the ballot must be returned to the voter. As we get closer to Election Day, it’s less likely a voter will receive their ballot in time to correct it.
Senate Bill 212 requires clerks to update the MyVote website, so voters can find out if there is a problem and correct it before Election Day. This gives voters a second chance to make sure their vote counts. This allows everyone in the state to find out if there is a problem with their ballot and correct it before Election Day.
After concerns were raised regarding the influence of outside groups on the election process and the resignation of their clerk in Green Bay, the bill will also ban outside groups from altering information on ballots. When someone besides the voter or the clerk has access to a ballot, it creates distrust in our process.
We saw a record level of absentee ballots cast in the last election. Since that trend will likely continue, it’s essential to clarify our statutes and make sure everyone in Wisconsin is voting under the same rules. Unfortunately, the governor vetoed this common-sense change.