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UPDATED: Wisconsin Supreme Court tells election officials to suspend mailing absentee ballots while it considers whether to add Green Party ticket to them https://bit.ly/3m9ym2W
If the high court orders changes to who is on the ballot, 2.3 ballots would have to be reprinted.
Counties warn that would cost them large sums and result in them missing deadlines that require absentee ballots to be sent to voters by next week.
Counties warn that would cost them large sums and result in them missing deadlines that require absentee ballots to be sent to voters by next week.
Up to 378,000 ballots have already been sent to Wisconsin voters, according to court filings tonight.
If the court finds candidates need to be added to the ballot, those voters would have to be sent a second ballot. And then clerks would have to make sure no one voted twice.
If the court finds candidates need to be added to the ballot, those voters would have to be sent a second ballot. And then clerks would have to make sure no one voted twice.
Today's court filings include notations from county officials across the state. They're overwhelmingly frustrated by the prospect of the court possibly requiring ballots to be reprinted so close to their deadlines.
Chippewa County:
"I hate the words fair and unfair but I find it unfair that County Clerks were/are put in this position of trying to make decisions when the courts are not acting expeditiously. This should not be happening the week before ballots are to be mailed out."
"I hate the words fair and unfair but I find it unfair that County Clerks were/are put in this position of trying to make decisions when the courts are not acting expeditiously. This should not be happening the week before ballots are to be mailed out."
Dane County:
"The vast majority of ballots have already been printed, and many municipalities already have received their ballots."
"The vast majority of ballots have already been printed, and many municipalities already have received their ballots."
Iowa County:
"If the ballots have to be reprinted I very much doubt we would have them in time to deliver them to the municipalities by September 16th."
"If the ballots have to be reprinted I very much doubt we would have them in time to deliver them to the municipalities by September 16th."
Jefferson County:
"If we do not send our file to the printer tomorrow, we will likely not be able to meet the statutory deadline."
"If we do not send our file to the printer tomorrow, we will likely not be able to meet the statutory deadline."
La Crosse County:
"I have spoken with our printer who also prints for several counties and his concerns is the availability of additional ballot paper, the time to get more paper in house to print ballots again and the deadline that he would never be able to meet ..."
"I have spoken with our printer who also prints for several counties and his concerns is the availability of additional ballot paper, the time to get more paper in house to print ballots again and the deadline that he would never be able to meet ..."
Milwaukee County, which has 475 different ballot designs:
"If Milwaukee County is forced to stop printing, and begin designing, testing, and printing a new ballot, we will not be able to meet the state and federal deadlines ...."
"If Milwaukee County is forced to stop printing, and begin designing, testing, and printing a new ballot, we will not be able to meet the state and federal deadlines ...."
Monroe County:
"We feel this is almost impossible at this point."
"We feel this is almost impossible at this point."
Vilas County:
"My budget cannot afford to re‐print these ballots. Election budget is in deficit due to the unforeseen May 7 special election date in the 7th Cong. Dist."
"My budget cannot afford to re‐print these ballots. Election budget is in deficit due to the unforeseen May 7 special election date in the 7th Cong. Dist."
That's just a sampling of the 60+ counties that responded, but almost all of them have expressed such concerns.
One of the more upbeat assessments came from Washington County, which planned to print them today.
"Our order is being moved to 9/11/2020 for printing pending the court decision. Washington County will
still have ballots by 9/16 to our municipalities."
"Our order is being moved to 9/11/2020 for printing pending the court decision. Washington County will
still have ballots by 9/16 to our municipalities."
On days like today I am thankful to work with @ericlitke, who on a dime on deadline can convert a messy PDF from the court into an Excel spreadsheet that allows us to quickly report important numbers (i.e. as many as 378,000 absentee ballots have already been sent to voters).
