Milwaukee, WI
Wisconsin election runs mostly smoothly, despite bomb threats
Votebeat is a nonprofit news organization reporting on voting access and election administration across the U.S. Sign up for Votebeat Wisconsin’s free newsletter here.
Polls closed across Wisconsin after an Election Day marked most notably by a human error in Milwaukee that prompted city election officials to count 31,000 absentee ballots all over again, potentially delaying the state’s unofficial results for hours.
In other areas around the state, problems appeared minimal despite long lines and rain. Some election officials said they had unprecedented turnout but managed it. Madison received bomb threats, likely originating from Russia, directed at several current and former polling places, but city police didn’t deem the threats credible and didn’t interrupt voting because of them.
By 9 p.m., election officials had already tabulated around 1.4 million absentee and in-person ballots across the state.
Unlocked tabulator doors prompt decision to count ballots again
In Milwaukee, election chief Paulina Gutiérrez projected that the city’s counting of absentee ballots would go well into Wednesday morning, partially a result of her decision Tuesday afternoon to make election workers count 31,000 absentee ballots all over again because some staff didn’t lock tabulator doors in the early morning.
For security reasons, those panel doors — which cover the on/off switch and sometimes a slot for USB drives — are to be locked during counting, though other security measures ensured there was no chance of tampering.
The decision to restart the count, city spokesperson Jeff Fleming said, was “out of an abundance of caution.”
Wisconsin Elections Commission Administrator Meagan Wolfe said the commission didn’t weigh in on the city’s decision to rerun the batch of ballots, but she praised the city’s transparency throughout the process.
After Gutiérrez made that decision, the city put out an all-call to every Milwaukee employee to help election officials count the ballots that had already been tabulated. Between 30 and 50 city staff from health, fire, and other departments came to help, city spokesperson Caroline Reinwald said.
“Things are moving really smoothly right now and quickly, so hopefully this isn’t actually that much of a delay,” she said.
But Republican leaders criticized the oversight that led to the second count. U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin called Milwaukee’s central count “grotesquely disorganized.” State GOP Chair Brian Schimming said about election officials, “You had one job,” adding that the election operation had gone “ridiculously wrong.”
Johnson said his concerns about Milwaukee election officials’ oversight could be alleviated if they present him video logs of the central counting site as well as records from the initial and second count of the 31,000 absentee ballots, including how they’re split by party. There are video streams of central count, but vote totals weren’t exported in the manner that Johnson was seeking, though each vote has a paper trail, city officials stated.
Milwaukee officials had counted 64,000 absentee ballots of around 108,000 total by 8:30 p.m., including the initial batch of ballots that was rerun through tabulators.
Under Milwaukee rules, all of the city’s ballots are processed and tabulated at one central location. State law doesn’t allow election officials to tabulate or process any ballots before Election Day, a policy that is partially responsible for the typically late reporting of results from absentee ballots.
A bipartisan group of lawmakers tried to change that policy this past legislative session, but the Republican-written proposal to allow some ballot processing on the Monday before an election stalled in the Senate.
“It certainly seems like, if we did have laws that were a little bit different, that allowed pre-processing, like the majority of other states, that potentially we could have unofficial results earlier in the evening,” Wolfe said.
Election Day in Milwaukee was also marked by a lawsuit filed by the Republican National Committee, alleging that GOP election observers were being restricted at city election sites. The GOP walked back its claims at a Tuesday hearing, conceding there weren’t any issues.
Hoax bomb threat doesn’t disrupt voting
Outside of Milwaukee, election officials faced few issues.
The Madison Police Department received bomb threats for several current and former polling sites via several emails that appeared to be from an automated bot, perhaps linked to Russia, city spokesperson Dylan Brogan said. Police immediately thought they were bogus, and voting wasn’t disrupted at any voting location, Brogan said, though they followed up to make sure everything was fine.
In Thornapple, a northern Wisconsin town that faced a Justice Department lawsuit over its decision not to use accessible voting machines in the past, election officials did have a voting machine in use, said Erin Webster, a local resident who was an election observer on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, by 9 p.m., Wisconsin voters appeared overwhelmingly in support of a constitutional amendment to ban voting by noncitizens across Wisconsin. The amendment would have little practical effect on who can vote under existing laws, but it would bar municipalities from opening their local elections to noncitizens or younger voters.
The state had a surge of early in-person voting, but election officials said that Tuesday was still very busy. Melissa Kono, who has been a clerk in the small northern Wisconsin town of Burnside since 2013, said it was the most intense election she had ever administered in terms of turnout.
Alexander Shur is a reporter for Votebeat based in Wisconsin. Contact Alexander at ashur@votebeat.org.
Two people were killed in Milwaukee on Monday in a double shooting.
A 24-year-old and a 42-year-old were shot and killed on the 3800 block of West Nash Street, Milwaukee police said in a media release. Police said the incident happened at about 1:35 p.m.
Little is known about the shooting. Police said the circumstances leading up to it are still being investigated and authorities continue to seek any suspects.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the department at 414-935-7360 or, to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 414-224-Tips or P3 Tips.
Milwaukee, WI
Milwaukee getting new dock for growing cruise ship visits. Some alders say city shouldn’t fund it
Milwaukee is getting a new publicly funded dock to accommodate its growing cruise ship business — despite an attempt by some Common Council members to use $5 million in city cash for other programs.
That dock funding was included in Mayor Cavalier Johnson’s 2025 budget approved by the council.
Work on that new dock, which will better handle large Viking cruise ships, begins in 2025. It’s to be operating by spring 2026.
Here’s what to know.
Viking cruises spur the project
Viking in 2022 began using Milwaukee as a turnaround site for its Great Lakes cruises — with trips starting or ending here. That means more spending by visitors at hotels, restaurants and other businesses, Port Director Jackie Carter says.
But other Great Lakes cities are eyeing that business and Port Milwaukee faces the prospect of increased competition, according to Carter.
That led the port to plan a $17 million project to create a new cruise dock. It will be built on vacant land just east of the Lake Express Ferry Terminal, 2320 S. Lincoln Memorial Drive.
The Viking ships now dock at Port Milwaukee’s heavy lift dock — which mainly serves cargo ships. It’s within an industrial area off South Carferry Drive on Jones Island and “isn’t the most welcoming place” for tourists, according to Ald. Marina Dimitrijevic.
Smaller cruise ships, which can maneuver through shallower waters, dock at Pier Wisconsin, 530 N. Harbor Drive.
Dock funding includes federal, state grants
The project will be funded with $4 million in federal and state grants, $7.64 million in port cash reserves, and $5 million from city taxpayers.
That $17 million tab includes spending on road, sewer and water improvements to make the site available for other development.
Cruise ship passengers visiting Milwaukee generated a $7.2 million regional economic impact from 2022 through 2024, according to a study commissioned by Port Milwaukee.
Ald. Bauman sought to divert funding
Ald. Robert Bauman, who chairs the council’s Public Works Committee, opposed the $5 million funding request that was part of Johnson’s 2025 budget proposal.
He said the cost was too high, and was skeptical of the economic impact study.
Bauman offered an amendment that would have diverted the funding to street reconstruction and paving projects, and a city fund that helps first-time homebuyers with down payments.
Dimitrijevic, whose district includes the dock site, supported the dock funding. She said it would help attract more visitors who spend money in Milwaukee while also setting the stage for additional development at the site.
That amendment was rejected by the council on a 12-2 vote in November. Bauman was joined by Ald. DiAndre Jackson in supporting it.
Other port projects
Meanwhile, a $45 million agricultural maritime export terminal, opened in 2023 on the west side of Jones Island at 1711 S. Carferry Drive.
Clinton-based DeLong Co. uses it to ship dried distillers grain, an animal feed supplement, and other products aimed at international markets.
The terminal is being expanded, with that work likely to start in 2025.
Also, PCB-polluted sediment being removed from the Milwaukee River Estuary will be stored at the port’s Dredged Material Management Facility. It’s being built east of South Lincoln Memorial Drive and north of the Lake Express Ferry Terminal.
Tom Daykin can be emailed at tdaykin@jrn.com and followed on Instagram, Bluesky, X and Facebook.
Milwaukee, WI
Neighbors call for closure and enforcement after triple shooting at 'after-hours' bar in Milwaukee
MILWAUKEE — Neighbors in Milwaukee’s Riverwest neighborhood are calling for the closure of an after-hours lounge following a triple shooting early Saturday morning.
The shooting, which left three people injured, took place at a business that neighbors say has been operating with little oversight.
Jennifer Robinson, who lives near the establishment, described being woken up by gunshots around 3 a.m. Saturday.
“To know that that happened so close by is pretty scary,” Robinson said. “It definitely needs to be looked into.”
TMJ4 News
The incident occurred at a place known as the “Carter After-Hours Lounge.” Police say a 49-year-old, a 29-year-old, and a 16-year-old were shot. All three victims are expected to survive. Authorities are investigating the shooting and searching for suspects.
The establishment is located on Holton Street near Townsend. From the street, the building looks like a former auto shop. However, the business is advertised online as a late-night venue, where patrons are invited to “turn up for the night till the sunrise,” starting at 1:30 a.m.
Watch: Neighbors call for closure after triple shooting at ‘after-hours’ Milwaukee bar
Neighbors call for closure and enforcement after triple shooting at “after-hours” bar in Milwaukee
Robinson and other neighbors who spoke to TMJ4 News are concerned that the lounge’s operation is unregulated. A sign posted on the door reads “414-Social-Club,” but city records show that the address does not have the necessary licenses or permits for a nightclub or bar. The City Clerk’s Office confirmed that no license or permit exists for the address.
“I had no idea that it was here,” Robinson said. “They need to do their jobs and look into it and shut it down because it’s unacceptable.”
On Monday, TMJ4’s Ryan Jenkins reached out to the lounge’s owner, the alderman for the district, and the city attorney responsible for prosecuting ordinance violations, but none were available for comment.
The shooting has left neighbors questioning how such a business was able to operate without proper checks and balances.
“We just really need to come together and make sure that place is gone,” Robinson added.
As the investigation continues, residents are urging city officials to take action and ensure that establishments like this one are investigated and held accountable.
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