MILWAUKEE — With just under three weeks to go until the April 1st election, the new interim City of Madison clerk says he is fully confident the election will run smoothly as an investigation continues into 193 uncounted ballots found in courier bags after the 2024 presidential eleciton.
Madison City Attorney Michael Haas was officially appointed to the position Wednesday by Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway following the suspension of Maribeth Witzel-Behl, but tells WTMJ he first learned he would be tasked with the job the day before.
“I spoke with [Witzel-Behl] before she left Tuesday, we met after she was notified. She was very helpful in providing information about the office, [and] the status of preparations for the elections,” said Haas Thursday.
Haas was appointed to the city attorney position by Mayor Rhodes-Conway in 2020; his previous work includes time as both an administrator for the Wisconsin Elections Commission as well as its staff counsel, and also served an advisor to local clerks across the state during the COVID-19 pandemic.
While Haas admits he’s still getting his bearings about him in preparation for the upcoming April 1st spring election, he expressed full confidence that the election will run with no issues.
“There are some tweaks in every election based on what’s happened in the past. And this time around, there’s going to be some extra focus on handling absentee ballots and also documenting that handling of absentee ballots, both in the clerk’s office and at the polling places,” says Haas.
Haas’s appointment comes following WEC’s decision last Friday to force Madison city workers to sit in depositions regarding the uncounted ballots. While a full list of employees to be deposed was not unveilved, the commission indicated Witzel-Behl was likely to be included. Haas tells WTMJ he does not expected to be deposed; it’s unclear if he would recuse himself from speaking at any workers’ deposition. A separate lawsuit has been filed by the firm Law Forward conducted “on behalf of absentee voters in the City of Madison who were denied the right to vote in the 2024 presidential election.”, according to the filing. The firm says service of claims notices were presented to the City of Madison and Dane County listing financial damages per voter at $175,000.
On Wednesday, WEC said they would be sending updated guidance to clerks throughout the state ahead of the April 1st election, which will include proper protocol for handling absentee ballots.
A timeline provided by MayorRhodes-Conway December 26th indicates the uncounted ballot issue stems from the discovery of a sealed courier bag with two sealed envelopes containing 67 unprocessed absentee ballots on November 12th in a security cart. A second sealed courier bag containing a sealed envelope with 125 unprocessed absentee ballots was then discovered on December 2nd in a supply tote.
Despite the discovery of the first group of unprocessed ballots, the Wisconsin Election’s Commission certified the results of the election on November 29th. WEC was emailed by the city for guidance on the matter on December 18th, according to the provided timeline.
In January, WEC Attornery Angela O’Brien Sharpe determined an independent analysis confirmed reporting from the Madison clerk’s office that the uncounted ballots did not impact the outcome of any local or federal elections in November.
Still, it remains to be seen how smooth the process will run in the city April 1st. The election includes two high-profile races, including one that could shift the balance of the Wisconsin State Supreme Court and another that will determine who leads the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.
“We certainly had a hiccup in November and after the election. And [in] my experience in elections now for almost 20 years, elections are a human process, and sometimes mistakes are made,” says Haas. “But the key is that we need to be transparent with the public. We need to fix the error and if a mistake is made, to communicate that clearly as early as we can.”
That transparency includes a list of actions shared with WTMJ by city spokesperson Dylan Brogan. Ahead of the February primary earlier this year, election workers and Chief Inspectors were trained on new checklists for processing absentee ballots. There are also new task lists procedures when closing the polls to double-check and triple-check that everything has been processed. Additionally, the Clerk’s office has implemented new procedures for how items are checked-in at the end of the Election Day.
“I’m very confident that we will have an election that people can trust and is fair and accurate.” says Haas.
READ PREVIOUS COVERAGE OF THE MADISON UNCOUNTED BALLOTS INVESTIGATION:
- Madison city clerk placed on administrative leave amidst ongoing uncounted ballot investigation
- Wisconsin Elections Commission votes to file deposition against Madison city workers regarding uncounted absentee ballots
- Lawsuit filed against City of Madison over uncounted absentee ballots
- Wisconsin Elections Commission launches investigation regarding uncounted Madison absentee ballots
- 193 absentee ballots found not properly processed in Madison
