‘Human Error’ Delays In Swing State Election Latest In String Of Mishaps
Americans were assured after President Donald Trump lost the 2020 election to Joe Biden that it was “the most secure” in the country’s history.
But in the years since, amid ongoing claims by Trump that the election was “rigged,” there have been several suspicious mishaps, most of them in blue states, that, to many Americans, only adds fuel to the president’s allegations.
The most recent example is Milwaukee, Wis., where election results from Tuesday’s primary were delayed after election officials reported a “human error” involving the transfer of voting data from USB flash drives.
Five of the nine flash drives used to download election results failed to properly transfer the data, temporarily delaying the reporting of results from the closely watched Democratic gubernatorial primary between Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley and Francesca Hong.
The delay drew criticism from election integrity advocates and Republican officials, who accused local election administrators of demonstrating “complete incompetence.”
The incident comes as election procedures in Democratic-led jurisdictions face increased scrutiny following a series of ballot-counting and reporting issues that have prompted criticism and, in some cases, investigations from GOP lawmakers.
“We’re all human, and humans can make errors,” Paulina Gutiérrez, executive director of the Milwaukee Election Commission, said during a midnight news conference.
The error delayed the release of Milwaukee County’s election results by about an hour as Milwaukee Election Commission Executive Director Claire Gutiérrez and staff members returned to the Central Count facility with a police escort to retrieve the remaining voting data.
“So, basically what we need to do is go back to the operations center, and we’re going to download out five of those machines (and) the results and make sure that’s not the audit log,” Gutiérrez said during the news conference.
“So, have the reports printed from the first download. We’re going to reprint and start the process so that we can compare those results,” she added.
The Milwaukee Election Commission announced that the audit log, which documents activity on the tabulator, was downloaded instead of the election results.
“The issue delayed the reporting of Milwaukee’s results, but it did not affect the results,” the press release stated. “The election results remained intact and unchanged on the tabulators. No ballots were lost or changed, or needed to be recounted or retabulated.”
Gutiérrez said the issue was not related to the voting machines themselves, but rather a mistake made during the process of downloading the election data.
She confirmed to a reporter that an incorrect button was pressed while transferring the results, Fox News noted.
But a local news outlet managed to catch the error in real time, adding more intrigue – and questions – to the equation.
Meanwhile, in an interview with Votebeat, Gutiérrez said the amount of time needed to download results from the tabulators varied depending on the machine.
While the standard download process typically takes about 10 minutes, she said some tabulators completed the transfer in as little as three minutes.
“The fact that this happened five times seems more like a training issue,” former Milwaukee Election Commissioner Claire Woodall told Votebeat.
“Was this person trained on how to export results? Are they familiar with the machines and how you export results?” Woodall added.
Some 15,000 votes were not counted at the time of the error, said the outlet.
NBC News’ Steve Kornacki showed exasperation after learning of Milwaukee’s error on live TV.
“We’re kind of indefinitely waiting for them to get their act together here,” Kornacki said.
“We waited 90 minutes for them. They did this whole procession, and then we find out there’s nothing on the sticks,” he added.
After the remaining election data was downloaded just after 1 a.m., Milwaukee County Clerk George Christenson spoke to reporters and highlighted the importance of transparency to the public.
“At the end of the day, what’s important is that we’re transparent, that the results are secure and that we’re open and honest,” Christenson said.
BREAKING: Dolly Parton’s Cause Of Death Revealed: ‘Brief Battle’
Dolly Parton’s death came after a brief battle with cancer, her representatives revealed Tuesday.
The country music legend died Aug. 25 at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville. She was 80.
Parton had been admitted to the cancer center Friday, four days before her death. Her representatives confirmed the cancer diagnosis in a statement to PEOPLE but did not disclose what type she had.
“Our beloved Dolly Parton spent her life and career bringing joy, laughter, hope and integrity into everything she touched. Her unmatched generosity reached the lives of countless people whom she would never meet, yet she was always there to offer a helping hand,” the statement read.
“Whether it be the hundreds of millions of books donated through her invaluable Imagination Library or funding research that helped create a lifesaving vaccine used around the world, Dolly’s unconditional love for all people was the guiding force for her lasting impact. After bravely facing a brief battle with cancer, Dolly departed her Earthly life today at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center surrounded by loved ones,” the statement concluded.
The “Jolene” singer had also been dealing with kidney and autoimmune issues before her death, PEOPLE previously reported.
Just days earlier, Dolly Parton opened up about her declining health and acknowledged that she had put off addressing some medical issues while caring for her husband, Carl.
“As I’ve shared in video messages throughout the past year, I am dealing with some health issues that I just didn’t pay attention to when I was watching over [my husband] Carl. You know, this isn’t the first time I’ve had to manage something like this. Back in the early ’80s, I was down for several months with female issues, and I was struggling with my weight at the time too, so it’s not like I haven’t been through hard times with my health,” Parton told PEOPLE.
Her nephew, Bryan Seaver, announced her death in an Instagram video Tuesday on behalf of the Parton and Owens family.
“My name is Bryan Seaver, son of Cassie Parton, and I’m representing the Parton and Owens family today announcing the passing of my aunt, Dolly Rebecca Parton Dean, Sister, Sis and Granny to one generation and Gigi to the next,” he says in the video.
Seaver, who served as Parton’s head of security for more than two decades, said she had asked him years earlier to deliver the announcement.
“This video announcement is something Dolly asked of me years ago, before I fully absorbed it as a future reality,” he continued. “As her head of security for more than two decades, a role my father Larry held before me, I have imagined the heaviness of this moment but haven’t truly felt it until now.”
Seaver said the moment brought immense pride and heartbreak, but he took comfort in his faith that Parton had been reunited with Carl and other loved ones.
Seaver added: “It is an honor, an honor that is mixed with absolute pride and great sadness. But sadness lies with us, not with Dolly. Dolly has lived in the light and is in the arms of Jesus, surely met by Carl, her parents and countless othe
Shocking 'truth' behind Prince Harry's decision to quit major role
Prince Harry should have "resigned in disgrace" from the board of a controversial African wildlife charity, a commentator says. James Walker makes the bombshell remark in Wednesday's episode of this publication's podcast, Daily Expresso.
He and the show's host, JJ Anisiobi, delve into the Duke of Sussex's dramatic decision to step down from African Parks. James, commenting on the controversy, said: "When you hear about this stuff and how long it's been going on for, you should be resigning in disgrace. [Harry] should be saying: 'I'm not touching that with a barge pole. That is a failed entity. We're going nowhere near it'.
"But no. He's still saying he's going to 'support their mission'. And again this Caroline Pearce, executive director of Survival International, goes on to say: 'His departure doesn't undo that record'.
"She alleged that African Parks was aware of the abuses for years, but it was only after Survival complained to Harry that the charity finally commissioned an investigation."
James added: "Well, she's got a point."
It emerged on Monday (August 24) that Harry was no longer a board member of the wildlife charity.
The conservation organisation has admitted that human rights abuses were committed by its rangers against members of the semi-nomadic Baka group in Congo-Brazzaville.
African Parks has said since that it has improved its safeguarding processes both in the Odzala-Kokoua National Park and institutionally.
Its admission followed an independent human rights investigation into allegations guards managed and paid by the charity had beaten, raped and tortured indigenous people in Odzala-Kokoua National Park.
Harry was president of the charity for six years before he became a member of its board of directors in 2023.
A spokesman for the Duke said he remains an active and avid supporter of African Parks. He added: "The Duke is proud of his 10 years with African Parks and fully supports the ongoing strengthening of its board.
"His commitment to conservation in Africa continues and he remains a supporter of African Parks’ mission."
Human rights organisation, Survival International, said it had been calling on Harry to step down from African Parks for years.
The group's director, Caroline Pearce, said in a statement: "It’s outrageous that for 10 years Prince Harry has served African Parks while the organisation has been responsible for abuse and violence against Indigenous people.
"His departure doesn't undo that record — African Parks itself must now be held accountable, and must abandon this model of fortress conservation for good."
Survival International said indigenous peoples know how best to manage their land and the idea outsiders know better is racist and colonial.
