You Asked: Why Does it Take So Long for Election Results from Mount Pleasant?
There is a running joke in Racine County east of I-94 about elections results taking so long to come in from Mount Pleasant. On June 5, though, tensions were high as residents waited for the final numbers to roll in, and, yes, Mount Pleasant was last.
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Emotions run high on a normal election night, but during the June 5 recall election, the jitters about results for the 21st Senate District were particularly bad.
When results from some of the smaller communities like Sturtevant, Norway and Wind Point started rolling in, people started to visibly relax. Still, the joke that kept going around was, well, this is great, but we'll still be here forever because of Mount Pleasant.
And, yes, the last results put into the record at the Racine County Clerk's office were from Peace Lutheran Church in Mount Pleasant, even after all the precincts in the City of Racine.
"Didn't I tell you?" Rep. Cory Mason (D-Racine) said with a chuckle at Senate-Elect John Lehman's campaign party that night.
The official results of the 21st Senate District recall are expected Tuesday. Only 779 votes separate Lehman from incumbent Sen. Van Wanggaard. Lehman claimed victory about 1 a.m. June 6, but Wanggaard has not conceded.
We heard comments in the same vein more than once so we decided to go directly to the source, Mount Pleasant Clerk/Treasurer Veronica Rudychev.
"Basically, it comes down to wanting to be sure every vote is counted," she said. "My chiefs are meticulous, making sure all t's are crossed and all i's are dotted."
Chief poll inspectors at each polling location are responsible for doing what essentially is a triple-check system reconciling that the numbers issued matches how many ballots were cast and matches the number of people who voted.
More seriously, Mason said he wants to know how to help make elections more efficient.
"I am a little vexed about why Mount Pleasant is always last," he said a few days after the election. "Is it a need for more poll workers? What can we do to help make elections more efficient?"
Rudychev said she doesn't need more poll workers, but she could use an assistant chief at each of the village's seven polling locations.
"It would be helpful if we had two chiefs at every location who are trained in everything start-to-finish," she said.
She knows it's frustrating for residents and candidates who want to know election results as soon as possible, but she's not interested in rushing the process.
"I'd rather be last and know it's all correct," Rudychev answered.
James R Hoffa
2:22 pm on Monday, June 11, 2012
""I'd rather be last and know it's all correct," Rudychev answered."
I second that!
mau
5:06 pm on Monday, June 11, 2012
I guess I don't find any humor in comments like this "There is a running joke in Racine County east of I-94 about elections results taking so long to come in from Mount Pleasant." or this "Didn't I tell you?" Rep. Cory Mason (D-Racine) said with a chuckle at Senate-Elect John Lehman's campaign party that night.".
People who make comments like this do not have any idea what is involved with working at the poll. Looks like now that Waukesha County Clerk Kathy Nickolaus is out of the picture, they need a new scapegoat.
Would someone please site me in the GAB rules that say the results must be announced when the polls close or even that evening?
Heather Asiyanbi
5:13 pm on Monday, June 11, 2012
@mau - Election results, I agree, are generally not laughing matters, but I know that Cory Mason didn't mean anything by his comment to me. I certainly don't see him as naming Mount Pleasant any kind of scapegoat - it's simply a face that MP is always last with election results. People do joke about it.
As far as I know, there isn't a GAB rule that says results have to be announced that evening, but ballots do have to be counted in a timely fashion. We can't have results taking more than a day, let's say, when we have automatic reads for both paper and touch screen voting. Not that technical issues don't come up - as anyone with a computer can attest - but for the most part, when we have the ability to get speedy and accurate results, then we should.
mau
2:36 pm on Tuesday, June 12, 2012
The large amount of absentee ballots and same day registrations puts a big burden on the poll workers. These are more time consuming than a registered voter coming in to vote. If they are not handled during the polling hours then they must be done after the polls close. Many of the issues encountered on the day of voting could easily have been taken care of beforehand.
Heather Asiyanbi
5:14 pm on Monday, June 11, 2012
** a fact, not a face. Sorry!
GearHead
9:08 pm on Monday, June 11, 2012
As someone intimately involved in Mt. Pleasant polling, I don't see the humor in Mason's remark. We dealth with every stroke on earth registering at the poll, all day long. Many took 15-20 minutes of poll time, only to find out they had no business in our poll. Maybe they saw the "vote here" sign and thought they should vote (sarcasm)
If Mason is serious about how voting can be more efficient, the two main torches for him to pick up are voter ID, and the elimination of same day registration. Anything less crushes the poll workers. But flooding the zone has always been the Democrat way.
Keith Best
7:58 am on Tuesday, June 12, 2012
I'm hearing all kinds of allegations of Fraud from Racine County.
This should not surprise you for in one form or another..........ACORN lives
Ed Willing
12:51 pm on Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Specifically, Voces De La Frontera.
Who's going to follow these folks around each election and watch what's going on? At least we had a few this time....
Mike Devine
1:56 pm on Thursday, June 14, 2012
@Keith Best!!? I'm a poll worker and take exception to your false statement. What are the "allegations of Fraud" you hear about? Please tell us who, what, where, when, these allegations happened. People like you spreading falsehoods distort the voting process. Tell us the truth or retract your statement. No reply....you lie.
mau
3:18 pm on Thursday, June 14, 2012
With that statement, I'm guessing you work at every polling place and have intimate knowledge that there is/was no fraud, short cuts or errors (intentional or unintentional) at any of them?
mau
3:24 pm on Thursday, June 14, 2012
No Fraud?
Curious Election Documents Found in Dumpster in Racine, Sheriff's Department Investigating
http://www.maciverinstitute.com/2012/06/curious-election-documents-found-in-dumpster-in-racine-sheriffs-department-investigating/index.php
Mike Devine
11:36 am on Friday, June 15, 2012
It's easy mau. Those paper found were registration forms, change of address,name change or new WI voter. Instead of turning in the bad forms, i.e. person discovered in wrong ward, to the Clerk they were mistakenly put in the garbage. Thats the only thing wrong. Yes there identity could be compromised if found by the wrong people. The reports are just voter untruths. Making something of really nothing to do with the system. As with this site, I work in the Sturtevant/Mount Pleasant area. Persons like you and Best really want to find anything that might malign the election system.
mau
2:02 pm on Friday, June 15, 2012
I'm guessing you have intimate knowledge of what those registration forms were. The rules are you don't throw out anything. How can any trained poll worker or clerk throw papers out. I see things too and I want things to go according to the law. How hard is it to follow the GAB election rules. That's all I'm asking. No cheating, no short cuts, no exceptions, follow the rules as they are and prevent any chance of fraud. I don't think throwing out official documents are making something out of nothing.
PoliticalFodder
1:47 am on Monday, June 18, 2012
It appears that the GAB rules are not being followed for approved voting machines. Check out this article.
Meet Command Central, the People in Charge of Wisconsin Voting Machines
http://wcmcoop.com/members/meet-command-central-the-people-in-charge-of-wisconsin-voting-machines/
There is a also a huge problem with our WI elections that most people are not aware of. The vote totals are never checked properly. The only way to verify that vote totals truly count the ballots properly is to hand count the ballots and compare the hand counted totals to the machine count. This needs to be done in every election because the computers are easily hacked. Watch these videos on hacking elections. Computer expert explains why computerized voting is easily hacked.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAyEfovA404&feature=bf_prev&list=PL7EA9A7F25C837D23
Sissy
12:25 pm on Thursday, July 26, 2012
This was never a problem before the new clerk. These trustees need to wake up. She is not capable of doing the work.