MADISON, Wis. — Madison Clerk Maribeth Witzel-Behl has been given paid administrative leave as the city continues to investigate the nearly 200 ballots that went uncounted in Dane County during November’s election, officials announced on Wednesday.
The city is also investigating Witzel-Behl’s performance and whether she broke the law.
“Given the nature of the issues being investigated, we felt this was a necessary step to maintain public confidence in the operations of our Clerk’s office,” said Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway in a release. “The City of Madison places an incredibly high value on our ability to conduct elections to the highest standards, and will spare no City resource to ensure that each vote is counted for the upcoming election.”
The mayor's spokesperson, Dylan Brogan, said Witzel-Behl will continue to be paid during her suspension. She makes $152,300 annually. No listing for her personal contact information could be immediately found.
Officials said City Attorney Michael Haas, who has previously served the Wisconsin Elections Commission in various roles, will take over as acting city clerk during Witzel-Behl’s absence. He will also continue his role as city attorney. Officials did not say if or when Witzel-Behl would return to her position.
“I am completely confident in the ability of the highly trained, incredibly competent professional staff at the Clerk’s Office to continue the operations of the office without interruption, including conducting the upcoming spring primary election,” said Haas. “I look forward to working with them to ensure a secure, transparent, and safe election.”
Additional supports will also be provided to ensure the city is prepared for the upcoming April 1 election, officials said.
Aides for Democratic and Republican legislative leaders didn't immediately respond to messages Wednesday inquiring about whether Witzel-Behl's suspension has affected their confidence in how the city will conduct the spring election.
Voters last week filed a class-action lawsuit over the uncounted ballots, each seeking $175,000 in damages. They were among 193 in Madison whose ballots were misplaced by the city clerk and not found until weeks after the November election.
Witzel-Behl didn’t notify the Wisconsin Elections Commission of the problem until December, almost a month and a half after the election and after the results were certified on Nov. 29.
Officials have said that the ballots didn’t affect the outcomes of any races, but Commission Chair Ann Jacobs called the oversight “egregious.”
Witzel-Behl had indicated in January that she was looking forward to working with the commission to determine what happened and how to prevent the issue going forward.
Officials said there will be an update on the investigation from the mayor’s office “as soon as possible” but that no further details would be released at this time.
The elections commission was expected to approve guidelines during a late-afternoon meeting Wednesday to help clerks around the state ensure they count every ballot in the spring election.
The recommendations include thoroughly documenting any incidents on election day; making sure all materials are returned from the polling sites; checking voting equipment’s ballot bins for anything that might have been missed; and immediately reporting any mistakes to county officials and the commission.
