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Waukesha County Executive Praises Election Process After Additional Votes Counted

Number discrepancy changes election results in state Supreme Court race, giving the lead to incumbent David Prosser over challenger JoAnne Kloppenburg.

Waukesha County Executive Dan Vrakas said that everyone makes mistakes after it was realized Waukesha County did not count the city of Brookfield in the election day reports to the media, which shifts votes in the statewide Supreme Court race.

JoAnne Kloppenburg, who was viewed in the election as a liberal, had the slight edge over incumbent David Prosser, a conservative. The additional votes that were counted in the Waukesha County Board of Canvassers place Prosser ahead by 7,500 votes.

“It is a good process,” Vrakas said about the Board of Canvassers. “Our forefathers put that in, and I think today we are finding out exactly the wisdom in that.”

Vrakas said there are discrepancies being reported statewide in the election. That’s why the state has the canvassing process, he said.

“Some are going to hurt each candidate,” said Vrakas about the discrepancies. “It is an unfortunate situation, but the most important thing is that every vote was counted and was verified and in the hands of the Government Accountability Board."

A tearful Waukesha County Clerk Kathy Nickolaus told members of the media on Thursday the error was discovered on Wednesday as they began the canvassing. Apologizing, she said the discrepancy was due to a failure to save the final document on election night.

Nickolaus gave a “great explanation,” Vrakas said, as she admitted to the problem.

“She owned it,” Vrakas said. “She said that it was something that she regretted but, at the same time, the vote that we forwarded now is the true vote.”

As for the City of Brookfield residents who did not have their votes reflected in the reports given to the media Tuesday night?

“You should feel good that your vote is in the system now,” Vrakas said.

Keith Best April 8, 2011 at 01:00 am
For Kloppenburg to declare victory with only a 204 vote margin out of 1.5 million shows she is either arrogant or a fool and we can't have that on the WI. Supreme Court. In case you libs didn't see the press conference, the Vice-Chair of the Waukesha Democrat Party said everything seemed to be on the up and up.
Dana M. April 8, 2011 at 02:05 am
Big load of crap in Wisconsin. This state is becoming ridiculous. Liars, cheats and thieves, all of them. This won't be the last we hear of this lady. This stinks all around and Kloppenburg voters need to demand fair accounting. Elect one idiot and the whole state of politics goes to crap.
#1 son April 8, 2011 at 02:06 am
Keith, any candidate would have done the same thing. Better to have an arrogant impartial judge on the bench than someone on the end of the governors leash!
Mr. Conservative April 8, 2011 at 02:16 am
<<Elect one idiot and the whole state of politics goes to crap>>
Wait, didn't you hear? Kloppy lost
Schaeffer April 8, 2011 at 02:24 am
This guy Vrakas must be some kind of idiot. All the "good job", "great process" BS reminds me of something. I know, "Great job, Brownie" by W. after Hurricane Katrina. If he had been a spokesman for the White Star Line after the Titanic sunk, he would have said, "Great job. They almost missed the iceberg."
Eddie April 8, 2011 at 02:26 am
Keep in mind, the hard copy paper trail will be reviewed and counted. At this point, fraud is a moot subject.
Keith Best April 8, 2011 at 04:55 am
I hope when you comment on what happened here you also include the statement from the vice-chair of the democrat party who was there to observe for the liberals, that everything appeared to be on the up and up, that this was an honest mistake and she had no problem with it.
#1 son April 8, 2011 at 05:33 am
Keith, so nice of you to be looking out for us 'liberals'! My fellow open-minded and progressive democrats want to be on the "up and up" as opposed to your gang of conservative, non-progressive, close minded name callers who don't have a unique thought of their own.
mary April 8, 2011 at 11:55 am
If this doesn't smell of fraud I don't know what does??? She is a shady character. Why does she still have a job if she is so incompetent. The Republicans are screaming about teacher incompetence and then they appoint people like a 27 yr. old dropout to head a state agency and keep Nicholas in Brookfield to oversee the vote. Very Shady!!
Stella April 8, 2011 at 12:00 pm
To anyone who is crying "fowl" here, please admit you are disappointed with the result, but the votes, and the numbers are there. Please don't create a crisis if there is none.
Beth Kennedy April 8, 2011 at 02:05 pm
I'm sure the whole process will be reviewed. The point does seem that the incompetence of the worker who had been challenged in previous elections seems to point to a better choice of worker being needed.
mary April 8, 2011 at 07:30 pm
To Stella-
If you think voter fraud does not go on research history . We should count all the votes if the votes are legit! With all of our advanced technology how come we can't come up with a system that is better ?? How many other clerks forgot to push the save button in previous elections? No wonder people are so disgusted. I think the Republicans want a system that is obviously easy to tamper with just in case the vote doesn't go thier way..
Stella April 8, 2011 at 07:59 pm
Yes, I agree with you--unfortunately voter fraud DOES occur, just not in this case. The County Clerk made a mistake on her computer that benefitted Ms. Kloppenburg. During the canvass, the mistake was discovered and corrected. We are human and make mistakes, unless you are a Republican? THERE WILL ALWAYS BE ERRORS ON BOTH POLITICAL SPECTRUMS. This issue is clearly not a case of voter fraud, but human error. There is a paper trail that clearly jives with the corrected vote. If you want to accuse Republicans of creating a system that is "obviously easy to tamper with", I might ask you why Governor Doyle NEVER ordered a clean-up of over 200,000 DEAD PEOPLE STILL ON THE VOTING ROLES--even after findings from an independent study recommended he do so? How does this serve Wisconsin? I have never known anyone who LEGALLY died and came back to vote in Wisconsin (maybe in Minnesota)--yet, the Democrats continue to hold their registrations open and fight ALL voter ID requirements--WHY THE DISHONESTY?
mary April 8, 2011 at 08:42 pm
I'm not so sure Stella that this was just a human error. Who knows who is backing this so called independent study? If this is the truth that 200,000 dead people are voting you better get busy . SERIOUSLY??
Stella April 8, 2011 at 09:52 pm
I think you have convinced yourself that this is a "VAST RIGHT WING CONSPIRACY," no matter what logic and facts are presented to you. Have a nice day.
mary April 8, 2011 at 10:44 pm
I think you have convinced yourself that this is just a simple mistake of human error no matter what and lets quickly move on attitude. This kind of mistake has never accured before in an election so to take it so lightly as" oh well human error", is really mind boggeling. Voting is too important of a right as a Republican or Democrate and we should protect this right. We ALL should question this kind of error as Americans . Don't you at least question our voting safe guards? Maybe your right and it is "VAST RIGHT WING CONSPIRACY" or Maybe not??...How could we possibly think that??? Have a good weekend!!
Rick April 9, 2011 at 05:14 pm
@mary... must be alergies or dementia... only way to account for the total lack of smell and loss of memory. What is a mistake is being called fraud in 2011. What was fraud in 2008 and 2004 in Milwaukee county was called... NOTHING. How is it possible for a city to have more votes cast in an election that it has registered voters (2004). Or have 20+ (I believe the number is 27) documented cases of vote fraud in 2008 to have ALL of them tossed out... Or lets not forget the little flat tire incident perpertratied by the upstanding son of... who was that.... Oh yeah Ms. Moore... you know the one in DC representing the people of Milwaukee. I guess for it to be considered fraud it has to be a mistake by a Republican.... NOT ACTUAL FRAUD COMMITTED BY A DEMOCRAT. But what do I know... I only expect fair, free elections.
Rick April 9, 2011 at 05:31 pm
Just what happened here.... Lets review a few facts.
1. What was done was that the vote totals from Brookfield were NOT REPORTED to the AP. The unoffical source of Wisconsin election results. Suprised the heck out of me when I found out that there isn't a state agency for this, but there isn't. 2. The next thing that was done was this preliminary information was put into the GAB database who is the official vote counter. Apparently without the Brookfield numbers in the totals. 3. The canvansing process was started per normal election proceedings. Egads... errors were found. 12 additional votes for Prosser in Milwaukee, 200 votes in New Berlin, and 62 in Shawno and 466 in Winnebago for Kloppenburg.... On and on... no new votes, not stuffed ballot boxes... All clerical errors in the counting. Now we have a doozie (sp) of a clerical error with Brookfield... nearly 14,000 votes not included in the totals... 10,000+ for Prosser and 3,000+ for Kloppenburg. BIG MISTAKE... Due to human error and maybe some faulty process (again human error). Forgot to press the save button or what ever. Regardless of the cause of the error it WAS an error. It wasn't fraud, it wasn't timed for a specific result, it wasn't until the cross-checking process which is part of ALL elections that it was found. Thank God we have these cross-checks to isure fair, free elections.
Diane April 9, 2011 at 05:39 pm
@ Mary
The error was found, was admitted, and there was an apology. As someone mentioned, there is a trail to follow. It is refreshing to find so many PERFECT people posting on these blogs.

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