Lawsuit filed against City of Madison for uncounted ballots in November 2024 election

A legal organization that advocates for democracy has initiated legal action against the City of Madison due to the failure to count 193 ballots from the November 2024 election. Law Forward, the non-profit group, has filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of eight individuals, claiming that city officials neglected their duty to accurately tally submitted mail-in ballots. The lawsuit alleges that Madison authorities had multiple opportunities to rectify the situation before finalizing the election results.

Scott Thompson, a member of the legal team at Law Forward, stressed the importance of ensuring that every vote is accounted for, emphasizing that the fundamental principle of democracy lies in the proper counting of ballots. Thompson highlighted Wisconsin’s commitment to the voting rights of its citizens and emphasized that there will be repercussions when those rights are violated. Kacy Gurewitz, another staff member at Law Forward, echoed Thompson’s sentiments, expressing disappointment in the city officials for failing to fulfill their responsibilities to voters who had diligently participated in the election process.

The legal action follows an investigation by the bipartisan Wisconsin Elections Commission into the conduct of Madison’s city clerk, Maribeth Witzel-Behl, regarding the uncounted ballots. After a thorough six-month review of nearly 2,000 pages of evidence and numerous interviews, the Commission characterized the mishandling of ballots as a significant failure on the part of Witzel-Behl, concluding that her actions were in violation of the law. Despite this serious oversight, the Wisconsin Elections Commission confirmed that the uncounted ballots did not impact the outcomes of any contests in the 2024 general election, and there was no evidence of tampering with the ballots.

The class action lawsuit seeks to represent the 193 individuals whose votes were left uncounted, aiming to secure compensatory and punitive damages on their behalf. WMTV’s attempts to obtain a response from the city regarding the lawsuit remain unanswered at this time. It is crucial to uphold the integrity of the electoral process and ensure that every vote is counted to maintain the trust and legitimacy of the democratic system.