To maintain the integrity of our elections, we should all agree that each person's lawful vote should only be counted once.

That’s why this week, after several concerned citizens reached out to me, I requested answers about a troubling situation involving duplicate absentee ballots being distributed in Madison.

On Monday, reports surfaced that the City of Madison sent around 2,000 duplicate absentee ballots to voters in a single ward.

In response, I sent a letter to the City of Madison Clerk Maribeth Witzel-Behl seeking clarity on how such a significant error could have occurred. I asked many questions, including: How was the error discovered, what ward(s) were impacted, and who is responsible for the error? You can read the full letter here.

Shortly after I sent my letter, the Madison Clerk's office began revising their website, altering their initial statements, and shifting explanations.

For example, a spokesman initially claimed that this “error” applied to around 2,000 ballots in a single ward which led the media to report that it was “up to” 2,000 ballots “in one ward.” Within 24 hours of that claim, however, the clerk’s office revised both numbers up substantially. It turns out their “error” spans ten wards, not one, and impacted a total of at least 2,215 ballots – so far.

Further, in what appeared to be an effort to downplay public concern, they also assured voters that individual ballots were marked with a unique barcode that would serve as a “failsafe” against multiple ballots being returned and counted – only to later walk this claim back to say that the barcode was printed on return envelopes. I called them out on X about that here.

The Clerk’s office also claimed to have “immediately” contacted each individual voter to notify them of the blunder. Yet, as of this morning, many of those affected reported that they still haven’t received any notification.

Given the inconsistencies in these statements, the apparent reluctance to allow a third-party investigation, and the Clerk’s questionable ties with a Zuckerbucks-financed organization, I am now more convinced than ever that an independent inquiry is necessary. Voters simply cannot trust the Clerk’s office to grade their own papers.

That’s why I followed up with another letter yesterday, requesting an independent inquiry to ensure public transparency and accountability for those responsible. You can read more about this here.

This is about voters being able to have full confidence in our elections. The Madison’s Clerk’s office should be forthcoming with the voters, make all related records public, and move quickly to hold those responsible before – not after – the election.