MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Election Commission said on Monday it is aware of some absentee ballots that were mailed to voters without the municipal clerk's initials. The executive director said their mistake doesn't mean those ballots are invalid.
The clerk’s initials are something voters should be looking for on absentee ballots to make sure they are authentic and official.
In the city of Milwaukee, absentee voters should find green initials that read ‘C.W.V.’ on the right-hand side, but some TMJ4 News viewers showed us that stamp of approval is nowhere to be found on their ballots.
"We've received a handful of phone calls about the stamp missing as well and have been very responsive to those voters,” said Milwaukee Election Commission Executive Director Claire Woodall-Vogg.
Woodall-Vogg said human error coupled with an unprecedented number of absentee ballot requests are to blame.
"We do review and spot check as well with our ballots, but it does appear that some stuck together,” Woodall-Vogg said. “They are packed in hundreds at a time."
If you received an absentee ballot without your clerk’s initials, there is still plenty of time to request a new one, but Woodall-Vogg said it would just be for peace of mind for Milwaukee residents because the ballots sent without initials will still be counted.
"It would be noted on the back of the inspector's statement on election day of a mistake on our part,” she said.
It's important to note, the initials ‘C.W.V.’ will only be on ballots for people who live in the City of Milwaukee. Other jurisdictions will have different initials depending on the local clerk.
