(The Center Square) – A Wisconsin Elections Commission investigation has found former Madison City cCerk Maribeth Witzel-Behl broke the law by leaving 193 absentee ballots uncounted during the 2024 general election.
The investigation’s results, released Wednesday, condemned Witzel-Behl for not counting the ballots upon discovering them, even though there was still time left to include them in the final tally.
Instead, after learning about the ballots, she had gone on vacation.
WEC said Witzel-Behl’s actions were a “profound failure” that undermines public confidence in elections.
“The lack of action by the city clerk with regard to the found ballots is astonishing,” WEC commissioners said in a letter about the investigation’s findings. “She demonstrated no urgency, let alone interest, in including those votes in the election tally. That would have required the city clerk to take the urgent action that the situation demanded.”
While WEC blamed Witzel-Behl, the report also found her staff and deputy were also to blame for letting the ballots go uncounted.
“There was a complete lack of leadership in the city clerk’s office,” WEC said. “It was the job of the city clerk to immediately take action once notified about the found ballots, and she did nothing. It was the responsibility of the deputy clerk to take action in her absence, and he did nothing.”
WEC said Witzel-Behl treated the ballots as “unimportant and a reconciliation nuisance,” rather than as a part of the democracy they represent.
Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway suspended Witzel-Behl from her role as clerk after the election, and she then resigned in April.
Michael Haas, the city’s acting clerk, said the city cooperated with WEC throughout the investigative process.
“I want to thank Commissioners and WEC staff for conducting a thorough inquiry into this matter, as well as City staff who provided documents and testimony,” Haas said in a statement. “We are currently reviewing WEC’s report and hope that it can provide lessons that we and other Wisconsin clerks can learn to prevent similar errors in the future.”
Haas added that city officials may have additional comments and recommendations on the investigation’s findings at an upcoming WEC meeting July 17.
