Fact Check: Voters are raising security concerns regarding duplicate mail-in ballots sent out in Green Bay, Wisconsin
This claim is ACCURATE. Multiple sources confirm that duplicate absentee ballots were sent to 152 voters in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and this has prompted security concerns from voters.
Key Points:
- Duplicate ballots were sent to 152 voters in Green Bay before the April 7, 2026 spring election
- The error was caused when mailing labels were accidentally printed twice due to staff working quickly after Blizzard Elsa closed City Hall an extra day
- Voters raised concerns after receiving duplicate ballots days after mailing back their original ballots
- Green Bay resident David Baumgart expressed security concerns, asking: "If I had filled that out again and sent it in, would they catch it on the other end?"
- The incident prompted concerns about potential election fraud within the city
- The Republican Party of Wisconsin filed a complaint with the Wisconsin Elections Commission, citing "substantial risk of confusion, double voting and (increase) the opportunity for and possibility of fraud"
Important Context:
- The duplicate ballots were caused by ordinary human error, not fraud, according to Wisconsin Elections Commission Chairwoman Ann Jacobs
- The city clerk's office has safeguards in place, including daily audits of returned ballots and ballot file audits to ensure no double counting occurs
- Affected voters were sent letters instructing them to vote only one ballot and destroy the other
Overall validity: 100%