Wisconsin audit finds elections are 'safe and secure'

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MADISON, Wis. – A highly anticipated nonpartisan audit of the 2020 statesmanlike predetermination successful Wisconsin released Friday did not place immoderate wide fraud successful the battleground state, which a cardinal Republican legislative person said shows its elections are “safe and secure.”

The study from the nonpartisan Legislative Audit Bureau did marque dozens of recommendations connected however the authorities mightiness amended its elections. It besides determined that dozens of voting machines it reviewed worked correctly. Some conservatives person called for reviews of each voting machines.

“Despite concerns with statewide elections procedures, this audit showed america that the predetermination was mostly harmless and secure,” tweeted Republican authorities Sen. Robert Cowles, who co-chairs the Legislature's Audit Committee, which assigned the audit bureau to behaviour the review. “It’s my anticipation that we tin present look astatine predetermination instrumentality changes & bureau accountability measures successful a bipartisan mode based connected these nonpartisan recommendations.”

The audit didn't connection immoderate grounds that the predetermination won by President Joe Biden was “stolen” from Donald Trump, arsenic Trump and immoderate chap conservatives person falsely claimed. Biden’s astir 21,000-vote triumph implicit Trump successful Wisconsin has withstood recounts and aggregate tribunal rulings.

Democrats hailed the audit arsenic grounds that elections are safe, unafraid and accurate, but said they feared Republicans would cherry prime the findings to sew distrust.

Republicans did prehend connected the information that elections officials successful Milwaukee County and the metropolis of Madison — 2 wide strongholds — on with the Town of Saumico did not crook implicit existent ballots. They cited guidance from the U.S. Department of Justice that elections officials are liable for retaining and preserving predetermination records, the audit said.

Republican Assembly Majority Leader Jim Steineke accused those clerks of “promoting secrecy” and undercutting their credibility.

In an antithetic move, authorities auditors did not springiness elections officials taxable to the reappraisal a accidental to respond and person their comments beryllium a portion of the report. The Audit Bureau said it didn’t solicit remark due to the fact that truthful galore radical were progressive with the audit, it would person compromised the confidentiality of its work.

Meagan Wolfe, head of the Wisconsin Elections Commissions which oversees elections successful the state, called the determination a “missed opportunity” and that the bureau was inactive reviewing the 168-page study to find its response.

The study is 1 of 2 investigations successful Wisconsin.

Republican Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos ordered a 2nd probe aft Trump criticized him for doing excessively small to scrutinize the election. That probe is being overseen by blimpish erstwhile Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman who said past twelvemonth that helium thinks the predetermination was stolen.

On Thursday, Democratic Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul asked a tribunal to artifact a subpoena for Wolfe, the state’s apical elections official, issued byGableman. A justice acceptable a Monday proceeding connected the request.

Gableman did not instantly respond to a connection Friday seeking comment.

Kaul past week called the Gableman probe a “fake” probe that should beryllium halted.

Wisconsin is 1 of several states pursuing investigations into the 2020 statesmanlike election.

The Audit Bureau study did place inconsistent medication of predetermination instrumentality based connected surveys of ballots it reviewed crossed the state. It made 30 recommendations for the Wisconsin Elections Commission to see and 18 imaginable ineligible changes for the Legislature to weigh.

Republican authorities Rep. Samantha Kerkman, the different Audit Committee co-chair, said the study volition service arsenic a “blueprint” for the Legislature to code areas identified wherever existent predetermination instrumentality is not being followed.

“It is critically important that we reconstruct spot successful our elections process,” she said.

For example, the audit said the elections committee should contented a rule, which would request legislative approval, saying whether section elections clerks tin capable successful missing accusation connected absentee ballots oregon let driblet boxes.

The audit reviewed a illustration of 14,710 absentee ballots that were formed successful 29 municipalities crossed Wisconsin. It recovered that astir 7%, oregon 1,022 ballots, had partial witnesser signatures; lone 15 ballots did not person a witnesser code successful its entirety; 8 did not person a witnesser signature and 3 did not person a elector signature.

It besides recovered that authorities instrumentality requires clerks to constitute their initials connected absentee ballot certificates successful definite situations, but less than 1% of the ballots reviewed were initialed.

The audit besides recovered conscionable 24 radical who mightiness person 2 progressive elector registrations and of those, lone 4 who mightiness person voted twice. The names of the 4 people, which weren't included successful the audit summary, were referred to the elections commission, which could guardant them to section prosecutors.

The findings backmost up the information that fewer cases of predetermination fraud person been charged successful Wisconsin. Only 4 cases person been brought to date, including 1 involving a antheral accused of having voted twice. It wasn't instantly wide if that man's lawsuit was among the 4 discovered by the audit.

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