Election official says no Wisconsin ballots in found mail

Listen to this article

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin’s top election official said Thursday there were no Wisconsin absentee ballots amid mail that was discovered in a ditch outside of Appleton last week.

Meagan Wolfe, administrator for the Wisconsin Elections Commission, said the U.S. Postal Service investigation into what was found is ongoing, but she had been told there were no Wisconsin ballots among the mail found. Wolfe said she did not know if ballots from another state were in the mail.

The postal service said last week that absentee ballots were among the mail that was found but did not say then where they were from. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service said Thursday it was “unable to comment” on the investigation.

Wolfe said once the postal service’s investigation was complete, more details would be released publicly.

President Donald Trump has referenced ballots found in “ditches” and “rivers” as part of a months-long effort to sow doubt about the integrity of the election and to preemptively call into question the results. He’s also cited military ballots found discarded in a wastebasket in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. The U.S. Justice Department said seven of the nine ballots found had Trump’s name.