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Friday, March 29, 2024 | Back issues
Courthouse News Service Courthouse News Service

Government Watchdog to Sniff|Out Election Fumble in Wisconsin

(CN) - The State of Wisconsin Government Accountability Board is sending officials to investigate the 14,000 "missed votes" from an entire city during the hotly contested special election for a seat on the state's Supreme Court.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court election results were upended Thursday when a county clerk said she had accidentally neglected to record 14,000 votes in a heavily Republican county. The votes apparently throw the election to incumbent Justice David Prosser, a member of the court's 4-3 Republican majority, which is expected to decide the fate of the state's controversial anti-union law.

In a statement issued today by its director and general counsel, the Government Accountability Board said: "Because of the attention on vote totals from [the city of] Brookfield, I am dispatching G.A.B. staff to Waukesha County today to review the business processes and verify the reported results in the election for Supreme Court justice. I have been in close contact with Waukesha County Clerk Kathy Nickolaus since her news conference on Thursday, and have directed her to make the official returns from the polling places available for public inspection. These documents are public records. I believe she is now taking steps to ensure transparency and public confidence in the official results. The G.A.B. will issue a report on the results of its review as soon as possible, and before certifying the statewide election results."

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