Town of Brookfield: (link)
As canvassers and tabulators compared a numbered seal on a bag with the number recorded for that bag by a town election inspector who prepared the paperwork on election night, the numbers didn't match.
Number of ballots: ??? (I'm going to estimate about 300ish given the averages per bag we've seen)
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Delafield #1: (link)
"At around 2:15pm, we were ready to open the bags for Delafield. There were three bags total. Bags 1 & 2 were fine. The numbers all matched up. When we got to bag 3, we found out that the bag # was NOT RECORDED ON THE INSPECTOR'S statement...!"
Number of ballots: estimated 350
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Delafield #2: (link)
Delafield again. 1 of 2 bags had a corrected seal number, matching its new tag and what had been entered in journal, due to a small tear having been made at top of bag by ballots after the original seal and its number had been affixed.
[The clerk] also said that the bag was so full that they thought it might tear. So to remedy that situation, they REMOVED THE ORIGINAL SEAL, took the ballots out, put them into a new bag with a new seal, and put that bag back into the original bag with a new seal.
Number of ballots: estimated 500-800
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Verona (link)
Burns found the bundle unbagged. They were bagged and he drove them to Madison. The bag had no signatures or initials.
But the chain of custody was compromised. Not only did Masarik admit that her office was sometimes left unlocked while she was at lunch, a cleaning person had access to the office after hours.
Number of ballots: 97
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Genesee (link)
Just after 1:15 p.m., Waukesha County canvassers began the recount for the Town of Genesee, wards 6, 9, and 10. They immediately identified a bag of ballots where the bag and label serial numbers matched each other but did not match the number written on the official inspection report from that precinct.
Number of ballots: estimated 350
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NEW!! Tuesday, May 3
Oconomowoc x3 (link)
Three bags of ballots from a precinct in Oconomowoc (oh-CON-eh-meh-walk) have been identified as having no serial number on their bag labels.
There are three places where the numbers should be matched. Each bag is sealed with a tamper-evident tag or seal. That tag has a serial number on it. Elections officials are supposed to write that serial number on the bag label when they seal it, sign the bag, and also log the serial number on the official election inspection report.
Waukesha County officials discovered that all three ballot bags from a precinct consisting of wards 4, 5, 6, 14 and 22 in Oconomowoc had nothing written on the bag labels. The bag seal (or tag) serial numbers match the inspection report, and the bag is signed by two people who also signed the inspection report.
The municipal clerk from that area (not the County Clerk) was asked if she had an explanation. She said she had none.
Number of ballots: ??? (estimated 300 per bag, so maybe 900ish?)
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NEW!! Added Tuesday, May 3
Chenequa (link)
We also had a bag on Saturday with no signatures on it.
From the Village of Chenequa. There were 233 votes in it. It reconciled to the tapes- though Prosser picked up one. It's a VERY rich, VERY elite community and is was like 204 to 25 or something (a few no votes).
Number of ballots: 233
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NEW!! Wednesday, May 4
Oconomowoc #4 (link)
At around 1:35pm on Tue May 3, Waukesha county canvassers discussed a fourth bag from the city of Oconomowoc that was so improperly sealed that it had a gap large enough to allow ballot stuffing. Instead of dropping it into a new bag with a new seal and an explanation, election officials merely taped up the gap with non-tamper-proof tape and kept the bag in a vault, which also has no safeguards to prevent tampering.
Number of ballots: 311
Picture of 4th bag from Oconomowoc
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City of Brookfield x6 (link)
The JoAnne Kloppenburg campaign objected this morning to the opening and counting of 6 bags of ballots from the City of Brookfield during Waukesha County's recount of the April 5th Supreme Court election.
Despite his own statement that "There are several bags that appear to be improperly sealed," a member of the Waukesha County canvass board ordered the Brookfield bags opened and counted, stating the board could only note the objections, allow photos to be taken, and let someone else decide later what to do about it. Presumably he meant the courts, if the Kloppenburg campaign decides to pursue an objection to the recount results.
Number of ballots: ??? (average seems to be about 300 per ballot bag though, so I'm estimating 1800 ballots)
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So 16 instances of fuck-ups with ballots / chain of custody, 15 from Waukesha county alone!!!
Total number of suspicious ballots: estimated 5,000 ballots (ALL but 97 ballots were in Waukesha county)
A few hundred more here, a few hundred more there (all across Wisconsin but mostly in Waukesha county), and all the sudden the total will end up at the magic 14,000+ number.
Big thanks to Giles Goat Boy (and everyone else too! :) for keeping us badgers up to date on the latest recount news.Updated by Cieran at Wed May 04, 2011 at 08:11 AM PDT
May 3- Added Oconomowoc bags x 3, Chenequa bag
Updated by Cieran at Wed May 04, 2011 at 08:12 AM PDT
May 4- Added fourth Oconomowoc bag
Updated by Cieran at Thu May 05, 2011 at 01:04 PM PDT
Added 6 bags from Brookfield