This is the hardest story I've ever done. I'd be honored if you took the time to read it.
My cousin was killed by a car bomb in Milwaukee. A mob boss was the top suspect. Now, I’m looking for answers. via
@journalsentinel
Milwaukee resident Robert Bland, 65, said, “Republicans are going to do everything they can to suppress the vote, every chance they get. But rain or shine, we’re going to vote.”
The MKE County Clerk also says that the recount is behind schedule, in part because observers have been disruptive. He also says that some Trump campaign observers have been objecting to every ballot.
This is false. There was no “dump” of votes in Wisconsin. Officials in Milwaukee County had repeatedly said they would be counting absentee ballots for hours. Many of us at the
@journalsentinel
- including
@AlisonDirr
&
@MegJonesJS
- stayed up all night watching the process.
Look at this in Wisconsin! A day AFTER the election, Biden receives a dump of 143,379 votes at 3:42AM, when they learned he was losing badly. This is unbelievable!
.
@WisDOJ
confirms that the Kenosha police officer who shot Jacob Blake is Rusten Sheskey & says Blake “admitted that he had a knife in his possession.”
BREAKING: As expected, President Trump has filed a lawsuit at the Wisconsin Supreme Court over Nov. 3 election.
The election results were certified Monday.
An attorney for
@JoeBiden
campaign says that the Trump campaign objecting to thousands of ballots cast by “indefinitely confined” voters is an attempt disenfranchise primarily elderly & ill voters. The Trump campaign attorney says voting absentee is a “privilege.”
Earlier today, Trump campaign observers objected to every absentee ballot envelope from Ward 5 in the City of Milwaukee & every ballot cast in Ward 1.
Both are predominantly African American wards on the city's northwest side.
Milwaukee County Elections Director Julietta Henry says some observers are objecting to EVERY absentee ballot that is folded. (Absentee ballots are all folded, so that would be every absentee ballot.)
In response to Speaker Robin Vos floating a possible amendment to Wisconsin's 1849 abortion ban that would require police reports for victims to prove their pregnancies resulted from rape or incest, state Rep.
@RobynVining
released the following statement:
"No."
When I asked her about the Kyle Rittenhouse trial in Kenosha,
@VP
Kamala Harris said, "As a former courtroom prosecutor, I can tell you that the focus should be on the facts and the evidence in the case, and I'm not going to comment on either."
Waukesha update; Milwaukee County District Attorney says the state’s bail recommendation was “inappropriately low” in Darrell Brooks’ ongoing criminal case.
Milwaukee County Clerk George Christenson gives reporters an update on the recount in Milwaukee. So far only three ballots have been invalidated. President Trump lost the state by more than 20,000 votes.
Claire Woodall-Vogg from the City of Milwaukee says a Trump campaign observer is objecting to the way the ballots are being placed in stacks. She says workers were following the stacking instructions.
There is nothing Presidential about shamelessly exploiting a tragic, complicated, and exhausting week in a community and state that need time to heal. Bringing divisiveness and dog whistles to Kenosha won’t make the country great again. Please don’t.
"Tonight's once-in-a-lifetime Princess Bride reunion changes the odds on who wins Wisconsin,"
@benwikler
says. "This is by a mile the biggest grassroots fundraiser that we have ever had."
When I told my 6-year-old that I would be covering today’s Wisconsin Election Day, she said, “Please be careful, Mama! Please wear your mask!” That seems like wise advice to me.
#COVID19
Claire Woodall-Vogg, the City of Milwaukee’s chief elections official, says that Trump campaign observers have objected to every single envelope for Ward 5 and every single ballot in Ward 1 in the City of Milwaukee.
Earlier today, Tim Posnanski, a Milwaukee County election commissioner, questioned Trump campaign attorneys about the flurry of objections from Trump recount observers.
“I want to know what is going on and why there continues to be obstruction," he said.
More than 66,000 people are watching The Princess Bride virtual reunion.
@benwikler
says this is the event “changes the odds on who wins Wisconsin,” adding this is the biggest fundraiser WisDems has had.
"Six-foot distance and wearing masks are pagan rituals of satanic worshipers," said parent Heidi Anderson. "My kids are Christian they are not subject to wearing masks."
That's Claire Woodall-Vogg, executive director of the Milwaukee Election Commission, heading out with a police escort to turn in the City of Milwaukee's absentee ballot information.
Neil Albrecht says that a Trump campaign observer was moving from table to table at the Milwaukee County recount objecting to all City of Milwaukee ballots that were cast. Elections officials are asking for answers from Trump campaign attorneys.
Thank you for following my updates from Day 2 of the recount in Milwaukee County. I am heading home to spend time with my family. Please follow
@AlisonDirr
for the rest of tonight’s MKE recount updates.
Another clerk says that they have received an objection about an absentee ballot cast by a hospitalized voter.
A number of Wisconsinites hospitalized with COVID-19 cast absentee ballots this year as the state has faced a spike in cases, hospitalizations and deaths.
Top Republican legislator
@SpeakerVos
acknowledges that an investigation of Wisconsin's election is unlikely to take away
@JoeBiden
's win in the state via
@patrickdmarley
As Republicans descend on Milwaukee for the GOP debate, there will be no shortage of
@JoeBiden
billboards around town - including some “Dark Brandon” ones near the debate site.
The board has voted 2-1 to reject the Trump campaign attorney call to stop the count. They are instead bringing up representing representatives from each municipality to confirm that they understand how to handle objections.
Asked for his reaction to the Trump campaign seeking a recount in Milwaukee & Dane counties, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barett (
@MayorofMKE
) says: "A failed candidate, a failed campaign, and soon to be a failed recount effort."
Tanya Atkinson. President & CEO of Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin: "When Roe vs. Wade was struck down this morning, we had patients in our waiting rooms. We had friends, families, neighbors, people who had driven for hours and hours in some cases."
BREAKING: City of Milwaukee would mail absentee ballot applications to its 300,000 registered voters under plan from incoming alderwoman Marina Dimitrijevic
A representative from Cudahy says that at least one Trump observer has objected to large numbers of ballots because poll workers were placing them in too many piles.
A 21-year -old man from Plover, Wisconsin, was arrested today by FBI agents and is facing charges of illegally entering the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, the U.S. Attorney's office says.
The man, Conlin Weyer, appeared in U.S. District Court in Madison today.
Wisconsin billionaire Diane Hendricks listed as 'everyday American' speaker at the Republican National Convention
She has a net worth of $21 billion & is the 92nd richest person in the world.
via
@journalsentinel
Asked about complaints about the poop emoji wristbands given out to recount observers in Milwaukee, County Clerk George Christenson said, “I always thought it was chocolate ice cream, personally.”
Wisconsin is currently experiencing a surge in COVID cases and hospitalizations that is overwhelming hospitals in some parts of the state. A 530-bed field hospital is opening on the State Fair Park grounds next week.
Election officials remove ONE ballot at random from the Village of Bayside. That comes after a unanimous vote by Milwaukee commissioners to reject ONE envelope because it did not have an address.
Trump campaign attorneys are calling for the count to stop at four City of Milwaukee tables (Tables 99-102) because they say their observers cannot view the recount well enough at those tables.
I don’t know who needs to hear this, but now is a great time for my fellow Wisconsin reporters to stay hydrated, get sleep when you can, pay bills due before Election Day (or try autopay), buy hand warmers & stock up on healthy snacks. And maybe stockpile beer, wine & chocolate.
We are still hearing from a number of Wisconsinites who haven’t gotten their absentee ballots yet. Please call, email or DM me if you are interested in sharing your experience.
When I asked about criticism that Milwaukee wasn't "fancy enough" to host the 2020 Democratic National Convention,
@LtGovMandelaBarnes
said, "We have a bronze Fonz. And as they say, the Cream City always rises to the top."
The Brown Deer clerk says an observer told her that she would be objecting to “all folded ballots.” Trump campaign attorneys say maybe she just couldn’t see the ballots that were folded - but say the campaign will not argue all absentee ballots that are folded are invalid.
Just to clarify: When observers object to a ballots or envelopes, that does NOT mean those ballots or envelopes will NOT be counted. That simply means observers want workers to set those ballots or envelopes aside - they will be reviewed & discussed by MKE election officials.
Wisconsin Elections Commission head says: Unofficially, Wisconsin’s voters cast 3,296,374 votes cast for president, the most ever in Wisconsin, breaking the record of 3,071,434 in 2012.
That's 72.6% voter turnout statewide.
Milwaukee police say they will escort the Milwaukee Elections Commission head from central count to the courthouse to deliver the city's absentee ballot count information to Milwaukee County.
Listening to my 7 year old daughter tell her class on Zoom about how she learned to master the monkey bars on the playground by not giving up is the inspiration I needed today.
Even by Wisconsin standards, this is crazy. (And I'm old enough to have covered the Act 10 protests, the 2011 state Supreme Court race, the 2012
@ScottWalker
recall, the state senate recalls, and the 2016 presidential election.)
The board just voted 2-1 to allow a vote to be counted that was received by the Village of Greendale in an envelope without a hand-written date. Officials say the date stamp indicates the absentee ballot was received a month before the election.
BREAKING: With governor's race between
@Tony4WI
and
@ScottWalker
deadlocked, Milwaukee County has more than 50,000 uncounted absentee ballots with
@DanielBice