State election staff say there is probable cause that Green Bay violated Wisconsin election law after the city mailed duplicate absentee ballots to 152 voters in April, according to a draft review prepared for the Wisconsin Elections Commission. The draft, which is included in meeting materials for the commission’s July 9 session, would require City Clerk Celestine Jeffreys to “conform conduct to the law” and adopt safeguards so that only one ballot is issued per voter. The finding lands just as Green Bay has acknowledged a second, separate printing error that may have sent duplicate ballots to several wards ahead of the August primary.
According to Wisconsin Public Radio, Elections Commission staff concluded there is “probable cause to believe” a violation occurred and stressed that “at no time should there be two identical ‘live’ ballots issued to the same elector.” The draft order in the packet would direct Jeffreys to provide a plan and new procedures to prevent duplicate mailings. Staff also acknowledged that Green Bay appeared to correctly track and count returned absentee ballots despite the initial issuance error, according to the outlet.
WisPolitics reports that commission staff recommended giving Jeffreys until July 24 to spell out the safeguards she has implemented and to document chain-of-custody procedures. The staff memo also flags a separate June incident that may have affected voters in multiple wards ahead of the Aug. 11 primary. Commissioners are set to discuss the draft at their July 9 meeting and could accept it, modify it, or send it back to staff for more work.
Green Bay has blamed the April problem on a printing-label error and said affected voters were notified. City Clerk Celestine Jeffreys told local outlets she regrets the mistake and that “our voters deserve clear, accurate and reliable election administration,” according to WBAY. The city also reported discovering a second duplicate-mailing issue the weekend of June 27 and mailed letters to households in several wards instructing voters to return only one ballot. City officials told media they would limit further comment while the WEC packet is under review.
Why mailed duplicates rarely change results
Election-administration experts say unique barcodes on absentee ballot certificates, daily audits and chain-of-custody checks typically prevent a second returned ballot from being counted, WisconsinWatch explains. The outlet quotes WEC Administrator Meagan Wolfe describing the safeguards as “very, very established” and notes that in Green Bay’s April case only one pair of returned duplicate ballots had to be spoiled. Even so, commission staff argue clerks must avoid issuing duplicates in the first place and keep procedures tight enough that ballot tracking is never in doubt.
The Republican Party of Wisconsin, which filed the April complaint, has urged the commission to act. The party’s release says the complaint cited violations of Wisconsin statutes and alleges breaches of absentee-ballot rules under Wis. Stat. §§ 6.86 and 7.15, according to the Republican Party of Wisconsin. Local political leaders are split: county Republicans argue the pattern undermines trust, while local Democrats praised the city’s quick disclosure, WBAY reported. If commissioners adopt staff recommendations, the WEC could order Jeffreys to change procedures, require documentation of new safeguards by July 24, or pursue other sanctions that are available under state law.
