Uncounted ballots from Madison in an insecure facility were discovered in a bag
In response to security concerns highlighted by the discovery of uncounted ballots in Madison, Wisconsin, Dane County is constructing a new election center designed to address these issues. The facility, which is expected to go out for construction bids soon, includes significant security upgrades.
The design of this center is influenced by features from major election centers in other states, such as Maricopa County, Arizona; Hillsborough County, Florida; and Cook County, Illinois. This suggests an effort to integrate best practices from across the country to ensure robust security and efficiency in election management.
The new facility will house election equipment for Dane County's municipalities, with a specific section dedicated to Madison's equipment. It will also serve as a space for offices, poll worker training, recounts, and monitoring emergency situations.
The construction of this new facility is a direct response to the security vulnerabilities identified in previous storage facilities, including the use of a former brewery as an election equipment staging area, which had multiple security issues. Therefore, the new centers are designed to be much more secure than their predecessors.
The building, previously a brewery, was bought by Dane County in 2023 for just under $5 million due to inadequate election storage space. The facility will not be operational during the 2024 presidential election, as it is not scheduled to open until 2027.
Notably, the new center will include keycard access, fenced-in parking lots, internal and external cameras, and alarms. However, a city contractor reported that there were no external alarms at the building. It's also worth mentioning that a police call was made to remove someone sleeping in the building at an unspecified time. No evidence of ballot tampering was found at the site.
The county is working with Wold Architects and Engineers on the project. In the meantime, the city is now looking for another storage site ahead of upcoming construction.
Sources: [1] Alexander Shur, Votebeat [2] Dane County Clerk Scott McDonell [3] Wisconsin Elections Commission report
- Concerns over security in elections have led to the implementation of policy-and-legislation changes, as seen in the construction of a new election center in Dane County, Wisconsin, to address issues like uncounted ballots.
- The design of the new center is influenced by best practices from major election centers across the country, such as Maricopa County, Arizona, Hillsborough County, Florida, and Cook County, Illinois, aiming to enhance security and efficiency.
- The new facility will not only house election equipment but also serve as a space for offices, poll worker training, recounts, and monitoring emergency situations, as well as addressing concerns of war-and-conflicts, crime-and-justice, and general-news related to election security.
