Milwaukee Election Commission admits data download error delayed primary results

On the night of the August 11 primary, a team led by the deputy director of the Milwaukee Election Commission incorrectly selected an audit log instead of the actual vote counts on five of the nine tabulators at the central counting center. This error delayed the release of unofficial results, though the commission stressed that it did not affect the integrity or correctness of the underlying election data. In a letter anchor A.J.

Bayatpour, the commission accepted responsibility and committed to posting all pertinent public records to the Wisconsin Elections Commission website by Sept. 4. The Wisconsin Elections Commission is set to consider a response urging the Milwaukee commission to answer questions and improve transparency before the November general election. The Milwaukee commission told the Dairyland Sentinel that producing the documents could take weeks, but now expects to upload them within a week. The incident underscores scrutiny of Milwaukee’s election processes, which often draw national attention.