WI Recount: Running tally of suspicious ballot bags

[Cieran_WI]

Hey, just wanted to cross-post this compilation of mine regarding each of the ballot bags so far in WI that have been "human errored". 9 out of 10 fucked up bags so far are from Waukesha county. They either have seals with numbers not matching the inspector's election night number (clear sign of fraud), gaps in the opening of the bags large enough to commit ballot stuffing, or just plain not signed / blank (another clear sign of fraud). Unfortunately I can't keep a real running tally on DU because the edit function expires not long after posting, but I'm keeping my diary on DKos up-to-date with every new case of a suspicious ballot bag showing up.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/05/02/972475/-WI-Recount:-Running-tally-of-suspicious-ballots">Running Tally diary on DKos
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Town of Brookfield: (http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/04/27/970709/-Wisconsin-Recount:-Waukesha-Stumbles-Out-of-the-Gate">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: ??
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Delafield #1: (http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/04/29/971493/-(Updatedx4)-Third-Bag-from-Waukesha-County-Lost-Chain-of-Custody#comments">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: (http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/04/29/971493/-(Updatedx4)-Third-Bag-from-Waukesha-County-Lost-Chain-of-Custody#comments">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.

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 (http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/04/29/971493/-(Updatedx4)-Third-Bag-from-Waukesha-County-Lost-Chain-of-Custody#comments">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 (http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/05/02/972357/-Another-Chain-of-Custody-Problem-in-Waukesha-County">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 (http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/05/03/972659/-More-Baggage-Handling-Errors-in-Waukesha-County">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: as of yet unknown

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NEW!! Added Tuesday, May 3
Chenequa (http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=439&topic_id=1022350&mesg_id=1022404">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 (http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x1022350#1026862">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

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So 10 instances of fuck-ups with ballots / chain of custody, 9 from Waukesha county alone!!!

Total number of suspicious ballots: estimated 1,841 to 2,141; with the number from Town of Brookfield and Oconomowocx3 unknown. My personal guess is around 2,500-3,000 at least so far from the 10 total bags.

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.


PS: If anyone has a number of ballots for the bag from Town of Brookfield or the 3 bags yesterday from Oconomowoc, I'd love to get that info so I can reflect it in my totals. Thanks.

[Blue Owl]

1. Down with slop, Up with Klop

Thanks for the update!

[progressoid]

2. Good grief. What a mess.

[EC]

3. Maybe Waukesha

should re-vote. Or these bags should be excluded from the total.

[Lefta Dissenter]

4. awesome

just what I was looking for, but was too busy to compile myself! Leave it to a DUer to DU it for me! :yourock:

edited to add, AND A BIG FAT WELCOME TO DU!!! :bounce::hi::bounce::hi::bounce:

[Cieran_WI]

6. Heh, I'm here to please. :P

And thanks for the welcome, but don't tell anyone (shhh!), I've been here for years and this is merely my third time having to start fresh on DU. :P I occasionally get banned for being a liberal, democratic, progressive badger :D

PS: At least it's not HuffPo, they ban me for even thinking about being liberal on their website haha

[Scuba]

7. So welcome back, and thanks for the great post.

[Lefta Dissenter]

10. ah haaaaaaaaaaaaaa

:hi: I almost wondered that before I posted! Something about you smelled familiar! :hi:

[SoCalDem]

5. How f-ed up does an election have to be before a judge/panel of judges just nullifies it and

says DO IT OVER...with observers & special custodians & hand counts?

[Javaman]

8. So what happens?

will these bags be discounted? Will they be challenged?

[Cieran_WI]

9. No, 9 out of 10 are from Waukesha county...

so they have 2 Republicans and and 80 year old compliant Democrat on the canvassing board. Sometimes JoKlo's observers will object to the bag with clear signs of fraud and tampering being counted, but the 2 Republicans overrule it every time and just count them anyways from what I understand.

[Frustratedlady]

12. Is that clerk, or whayever her title is, going to be fired? I've never heard of so much ...

incompetence. I wonder how many other elections she's screwed up.

[Cieran_WI]

13. By who, Trump? She's an elected official.

In a deep red county, Waukesha county. The reddest county, perhaps. It's where all the rich white-flight people went when fleeing "the blacks" in Milwaukee. They're probably going to give Kathy Nickolaus a medal and re-elect her in a landslide if she runs again (and why wouldn't she, she knows she'll win!)

[Frustratedlady]

14. Oh, yeah. Forgot about that. EOM

[PeaceNikki]

17. OK stop right there.

First, Ramona is not "compliant". She's a sharp and smart lady and a strong Democrat. Secondly, the observers recounting ALWAYS object, the Board of Canvass rules and we are counting the bags seperately. This is the default barring CLEAR evidence of fraud. The local clerks are testifying under oath and (weak) explanations are being provided.

[gkhouston]

19. And *that* is why counting is going so slowly in Waukesha.

If everything was in order with the bags and paperwork, or if objections were being summarily ignored, they'd be going at a much faster pace. Anyone who's dropped in on the livestream might have noticed they seem to spend more time discussing the ballots they're counting than actually counting them.

[PeaceNikki]

20. IN ADDITION, we are only doing one reporting unit at a time. Most of bigger counties are doing more

than one at a time. The good news is that means it's being done thoroughly. The bad news is that it takes longer. And yes, when objections are made and we go on record, everyone has to stop (or at least shut the fuck up).

[shraby]

11. Here are the totals I have:

None have the original total ballots listed, only the original vote count totals.

City of Oconomowoc:
Wards 1-3, 20, 21 - 1314 ballots (original vote count total)
Wards 4-6, 14, & 22 - 968 ballots (original vote count total)
Wards 7,9,17-19 & 26 - 926 ballots (original vote count total)
Wards 10-13, 15, 16, 23-25, 27-33 - 1392 ballots (original vote count total)


Town Brookfield:
Wards 1,3 & 4 - 644 (original vote count total)
Wards 2,6, & 8 - 686 (original vote count total)
Wards 5 & 7 - 547 (original vote count total)
Wards 9 & 10 329 (original vote count total)

Don't know why they didn't list the total ballots cast.????

[socialist_n_TN]

15. Wouldn't election fraud by local officials

be investigated federally? I would think that it would count as a civil rights violation and I KNOW that they investigated "jury nullification" in the trials of Klansmen in the south.

Any lawyers want a crack at that? I mean, that many fuck ups in one, HEAVILY Republican county during this election smells to high heaven.

I vote "Do over" with UN observers.

[Cieran_WI]

16. Calls for Federal investigations have fallen on deaf ears. n/t

[PeaceNikki]

18. Perhaps you should chill out and wait until all of the evidence is gathered?

Waukesha is under 20% counted and it's taking so long becuase we are doing one unit at a time and getting EVERYTHING entered into evidence.

[eowyn_of_rohan]

21. kick from afar

from a very repressive town in a "red" county

[highplainsdem]

22. K&R

[Cieran_WI]

23. UPDATE: 6 bags from City of Brookfield were open / improperly sealed

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.

and

Schmidt: Yes they were and…we keep them in a locked vault until they’re taken to the county. It’s always a problem with sealing these. They have one hole in the bag. Unfortunately when you just fold them over, if you have too many in there, you can see how they will tear when you pick them up like this.

JK Representative: These weren’t torn, Kris, they were open…

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/05/05/973377/-First-6-Brookfield-Ballot-Bags-appear-to-be-improperly-sealed,-Counted-Anyway-

[nc4bo]

24. Very interesting. I've always found that if you find enough dropped pennies, nickels and dimes

you'll have a dollar before you know it. A vote added here, a vote added there, before you know it.......who knows?

Again, very interesting indeed.

Keep up the good work everyone and good luck!!

[Lefta Dissenter]

25. a hair over one vote per ward

is all it would take.

[mfcorey1]

26. This needs to stay in the news. nt

[eowyn_of_rohan]

27. Add at least 6 more, from Wauwatosa, Milwaukee County

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x1059820

[eowyn_of_rohan]

28. So far I am unable to find reports from yesterday's Milw. Co recount

and the numerous open ballot bags that came up yesterday for recount. I am certain reports were filed on them. I want to know exactly how many there were!

[eowyn_of_rohan]

29. Kick

[murielm99]

30. Kick.

I missed this thread until today. This is an important thread. Thanks for your hard work, Cieran.

[demgrrrll]

31. kick

[demwing]

32. kick - please keep kicking /nt

[senseandsensibility]

33. kick

Any more news?