Madison City Clerk Addresses Absentee Ballot Confusion

The mailing of approximately 2,200 duplicate absentee ballots in Madison, Wisconsin, has prompted Republican Congressman Tom Tiffany to suggest that the city clerk misled the public about the presence of barcodes on the ballots. However, Wisconsin ballots do not have barcodes; instead, the barcodes are on the envelopes to track the ballots and prevent double voting. Tiffany's claims, which gained significant social media traction, were challenged by election officials who clarified that the issue arose from a simple data processing error. The Madison Clerk's Office updated its initial statement to clarify that the barcodes are on the envelopes, not the ballots. Tiffany has called for an independent review of the situation, but city officials emphasized that safeguards are in place to ensure ballot integrity. Despite the controversy, officials maintain that the error will not affect the election outcome, as all systems are designed to prevent misuse.