MADISON (WKOW) -- County and municipal officials say a political mailing includes flawed information on voter registration, and has resulted in nearly three dozen registrations being mailed incorrectly to a clerk in a small, Dane County town.
Dane County clerk Karen Peters says 35 voter registration forms have come to the clerk in the Town of Albion, even though the voters reside in Madison and elsewhere.
Officials say the voter registration forms were included in a political mailing from the republican party of Wisconsin. The brochure included a printed address in Albion for voters to return the forms.
"If you're one of the 35 people that your information went to the wrong place, and you're not registered like you thought you were, and something goes wrong on election day, it becomes a little more important for those 30," Peters tells 27 News.
Peters says registration forms mailed to Albion will be routed to the correct municipality, but says the snafu may delay some registrations.
Deb Bergen, admissions director of the Attic Angel assisted living facility in Madison, says three of her residents received the mailing with the printed Albion address for the form's return, and brought the situation to her attention.
Bergen says she worked with the residents to make sure they were properly registered to vote, and reported the mailing to elections officials.
"The information was misleading," Bergen tells 27 News.
Peters says voter registration forms direct the user to consult the back of the form for important instructions.
But Peters says the form included in the mailing failed to the provide the explanatory back of the form.
RPW communications director Nathan Conrad says voting lists used to produce mass mail encouragement to get people to register to vote can be flawed themselves.
"No list is ever perfect and while these circumstances are without a doubt unfortunate, we are working diligently to make sure the accidental list mistakes do not occur in the future," Conrad says.
Government Accountability Board director and general counsel Kevin Kennedy says issues with incorrect information on direct mailings crop up in connection with every election.
Kennedy encourages voters to consult with the clerk in their city, village or town, with questions on voter registration or absentee ballots, and visit the website.
