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WEC Confirms Clerk Broke the Law
Wisconsin’s election managers say Green Bay’s former clerk broke the law by sending duplicate ballots, but they are not saying if they will ask for charges.
The Elections Commission on Wednesday ruled that former Green Bay Clerk Celestine Jeffreys “violated” the law when she mailed duplicate ballots to voters ahead of the April election.
“It is uncontested that the City Clerk sent at least 244 duplicate absentee ballots to voters, and possibly as many as 390, without any justification, though the actual number appears to be unknowable. Under Wis. Stat. 7.15(1)(cm) the clerk was only authorized to send these voters one ballot, and the Commission finds probable cause that the City Clerk took actions that were contrary to law when she mailed the duplicate ballots in error," the Commission found.
Jeffreys actually sent extra ballots to hundreds of voters in two straight elections. She mailed duplicate ballots ahead of the spring election, and then again ahead of the August primary.
Jeffreys was placed on leave after the second set of duplicate ballots was uncovered, and she reigned in August.
The Elections Commission didn’t say anything about possible charges, and the Commission’s investigative report was similarly silent on possible punishments.
Instead, the Commission focused on new protocols for the city of Green Bay’s election operations.
"The Commission orders the [city] to continue to maintain a complete chain of custody for all ballots issued and returned and to continue to ensure that no voter can vote more than once in an election. No later than 30 days after the November 3, 2026 election, the [city] is ordered to submit a report for the Commission’s consideration reviewing the absentee handling procedures presented in response to this investigation, documenting any instances of process failure, assessing whether the procedures are adequate, and explaining any changes or improvements that will be made," the Commission wrote in its order.
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