Milwaukee primary results delayed by USB download mistake

Milwaukee's primary night was disrupted when five of nine USB flash drives did not capture the tabulated results, a slip described as a "human error" by the election commission. The mishap required staff, escorted by police, to return to the central counting center and retrieve the missing data, pushing the release of the Democratic gubernatorial primary outcome back by about an hour. Officials clarified that the audit log was mistakenly downloaded instead of the vote totals, and no ballots were lost, altered, or recounted.

Approximately 15,000 votes remained unreported until the correct files were obtained after 1 a.m., after which David Crowley was declared the winner by a half-point margin over Francesca Hong. Republican observers criticized the episode as "complete incompetence," while the county clerk emphasized transparency and the integrity of the final results. The incident adds to a series of recent election-administration errors in blue-state jurisdictions.