Posted on 05/08/2011 6:58:11 AM PDT by UB355
"Drum roll, please."
Those were the words uttered as elections consultant Barb Hansen read aloud the vote tally for the final polling ward for the City of Brookfield.
And with that, at 6:19 p.m., volunteer tabulators finished the meticulous three-day hand recount of the more than 14,000 votes cast by City of Brookfield voters for the state Supreme Court race on April 5.
Its finish is just the beginning for the Waukesha County Board of Canvassers, who still have about 70% of the county's votes to recount, after 10 days of work including two consecutive Saturdays. That's in stark contrast to 67 other counties that have finished their recounts, and the four others that expect to be complete by Monday, leaving Waukesha alone in the spotlight.
But it was a milestone for tabulators because much scrutiny has been on the City of Brookfield's votes ever since Waukesha County Clerk Kathy Nickolaus called a press conference two days after the election to announce a stunner: that in the razor-thin high court race in which Assistant State Attorney General JoAnne Kloppenburg had declared victory with a 200-vote margin out of 1.5 million cast, an entire city's votes had not been included in the statewide tally.
A city with 14,315 votes, about 76 percent of which went to the other candidate, the conservative incumbent, Justice David Prosser Jr.
The sudden "discovery" of votes that had not been previously reported — coming from one of the most conservative municipalities in one of the most conservative counties — had many crying foul. The votes, however, had been reported in a detailed ward-by-ward breakdown in a Brookfield Patch story four hours after the polls closed.
But after the three-day hand recount, the city's votes were for the most part upheld as accurate. The recount netted three additional votes for Prosser and one additional vote for Kloppenburg, for a final city margin of 10,862 to 3,457, according to Ellen Nowak, chief of staff for Waukesha County Executive Dan Vrakas.
The city's recount was not without disputes and controversy. It is yet unclear whether Kloppenburg will challenge any of the votes in court, such as more the more than 1,500 votes cast in the high court race by voters in the city's Wards 1, 2 and 3.
Those ballots were inside bags that were not properly sealed post-election and found partially open during the recount. Kloppenburg campaign representatives objected to the bags being opened and votes counted due to questions about the ballots' security and potential tampering.
But retired Waukesha County Circuit Judge Robert Mawdsley, appointed to oversee the recount in lieu of Nickolaus, allowed their recount, saying it would be up another court to decide, should it be challenged in court.
On Monday morning, Waukesha County Corporation Counsel Tom Farley will explain why more time is needed as the state Government Accountability Board asks a Dane County judge to extend the May 9 deadline for finishing the historic statewide recount.
And back in Waukesha, the recount will move to the cafeteria in the Administration Building, a much larger room than the first-floor conference room where it has been held since April 27. Double the number of tabulators will be on hand to try to speed up the county's recount, while still undergoing a more detailed process than many counties, recorded for posterity by a court reporter hired by the county.
Prosser gained 8 yotes in the county where I live.
Turn out the lights, the party’s over.
Good News! This has been a long drawn out one - a preview of 2012.
So Kloppenburg’s now going to announce another recount? Keep counting votes - until she wins! That’s the DemocRAT way - it’s the Gregoire way!
Kloppenburg and her union nuts can pack it up. They have pissed off all of America.
Does Klippity Klopp or the state Dem party ever have to pay for any part of the recount?
Thank G-d these Wisconsin Republicans are not cut from the same cloth that pu$$ies like Beohner and Cantor are cut from.
If it were Boehner and Cantor, they’d be saying that Kloppenburg should be given the win to promote bipartisanship, compromise, and good will. I mean afterall, “there will be bigger fights in the future to win.”
Kloppy’s lawyers will be in court tomorrow claiming any votes not counted by May 9 should not be included.
Since Kloppy has slowed down the counting in ONLY Waukesha County by objecting to everything, she will claim victory tomorrow. Dane and Milwaukee County will finish and only Republican Waukesha Count will not be finished.
I respectfully disagree. The PARTY has just begun.
That would be pretty raw, even by Democrat standards. Any rational judge would rule that if a recount is not done by the deadline, then the original count stands.
Actually they have only pissed off half of America. The other half is just too stupid to realize it.
How wonderful it would be if that were so! But I'm afraid almost 50% of the people in the country today live on freebies and would be only too happy if their enablers stole every election.
How wonderful it would be if that were so! But I'm afraid almost 50% of the people in the country today live on freebies and would be only too happy if their enablers stole every election.
Exactly!!! It appears that Americans have been seduced by the "bright side" of socialism. They won't realize that there is a "dark side" until its too late. Its a shame that ours is the last generation that will be free and experience the dignity that freedom brings.
Walker, after this recount, issue a executive order (or such) or have the legislature declare Prosser the winner and give the oath to seat him. F the courts.
I presume that it will be the same Democrat lawyers who argued in Florida in 2000 that EVERY vote must be counted, except of course military absentee ballots.
There goes the rationale that the ballot bags were opened and tampered with. A difference of 4 votes doesn't sound like a heck of a lot of tampering.
Here is a link to Wisconsin Government Accountability Board (state board of elections), with the previous vote totals vs the recall vote totals, by county.
http://gab.wi.gov/elections-voting/recount/county-by-county
“The recount is complete in 67 of Wisconsin’s 72 counties, and 60 of 72 counties have been certified. We expect all but Waukesha County will be complete by the deadline on Monday, May 9.”
Totals pickups/losses during recount so far:
Prosser: +177
Klopennheimer: +386
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