269 mail-in ballots from Election Day will not be counted, Milwaukee election official says

The Milwaukee Election Commission received 269 mail-in absentee ballots a day after Election Day and they will remain uncounted. 

The office always receives a few mail-in ballots after Election Day generally from residents who dropped them in a U.S. Post Office mailbox. But it typically is not this volume of ballots. 

“This is deeply unsettling,” said Paulina Gutierrez, the city’s top election official, at an afternoon news conference on April 9 at City Hall. “The fact that we received so little on Election Day and then so many after Election Day is highly unusual.”

Gutierrez said her office is in constant communication with the Post Office, which delivered 20 ballots to election officials the morning of April 7, Election Day. After that initial delivery, Gutierrez said every time election officials checked with the Post Office throughout the day, the federal government’s mail service said they had no ballots. But then delivered 269 ballots the following morning. 

Only ballots received by 8 p.m. on Election Day by election officials are counted, per state law. 

The incident is under investigation by election officials and the Post Office, which did not immediately provide Gutierrez additional information, she said.

“We were made aware today of ballots received by the Milwaukee Election Commission after Election Day,” the Post Office said in a statement. “The Postal Service takes these issues very seriously, and we are working with local election officials.

“The U.S. Postal Service is committed to the secure, timely delivery of the nation’s Election Mail and is fulfilling its role in the electoral process when voters choose to utilize vote by mail as a part of the election system. 

“Our longstanding recommendation to voters who choose to vote by mail is to mail early.”

If you are an absentee voter, meaning you request a mail-in ballot and then send it back, election officials highly recommend dropping it in one of the city’s 15 ballot dropboxes on or before the election or mail the ballot back at a minimum one to two weeks before the election. 

Residents can check on myvote.wi.gov in 30 to 45 days after the election to see if their ballot is one of the uncounted. You can also reach out to the commission at 414-286-VOTE or [email protected].

“We encourage voters to send their ballots as early as possible,” Gutierrez said. “Sometimes people will hold on to them for a little bit, we say no. Vote on your ballot, get your witness, make sure all your information is correct and get it out to us as soon as possible. Also, we encourage the dropbox. It’s really important to have a voting plan.”