MARSHFIELD, Wis. — A Board of Canvassers meeting Friday morning reviewed and verified vote totals from multiple municipalities and City of Marshfield wards, resolving a spreadsheet ordering issue before signing final paperwork and adjourning at 10 a.m.
The canvass began at 9:32 a.m. with results from the Town of Cameron, where officials confirmed there were no registered write-in candidates and that any write-in marks did not affect the outcome because there were enough candidates to fill available seats, according to the discussion during the meeting.
Officials also reviewed “undervotes,” which were explained as ballots in which voters selected fewer than the maximum number of candidates allowed — “up to 3” — resulting in people voting for one or two candidates instead of three.
The board then proceeded community by community, reading vote totals aloud for candidates including Dominic Pernsteiner, Mason Gukenberger, Ben Will, Brandon Taylor, Mark Borchardt, Matthew Sampson, and Faith Meyers, across towns in Clark, Marathon, and Wood counties, as well as multiple ward groupings within the City of Marshfield.
Spreadsheet discrepancy flagged during ward review
Midway through reviewing City of Marshfield results, canvassers paused after noticing numbers for Ward 10 appeared to match figures listed elsewhere, prompting a closer check of ward labels and order.
After comparing totals and discussing how the wards were arranged on different documents, the clerk said the issue stemmed from the way wards were ordered between two spreadsheets — one used on election night and another used for copying later — which caused ward groupings to appear “flipped” in the order shown.
“I know what happened,” the clerk said while pulling up the election-night spreadsheet and preparing an updated printout.
Participants emphasized that the vote numbers themselves were not changing, but that the ward order and labeling needed to be corrected so totals aligned with the proper ward groupings.
Following the correction, the board resumed reading results, including additional Marshfield ward groupings such as Wards 5 and 15, Ward 6, Wards 7 and 17, Wards 8, 18, 21 and 22, Wards 9 and 20, Ward 10, and Wards 12, 16 and 19.
Meeting ends with signatures and certification steps
After the final ward totals were reviewed, participants confirmed the numbers were “good” and asked what remained to finish the canvass.
Organizers said the remaining step was signing documents verifying the vote totals. Members signed the paperwork at the meeting table, and the chair announced the Board of Canvassers concluded at 10 a.m.
The transcript reflects a methodical process focused on reading and confirming vote totals from each reporting unit, with the only interruption coming from the ward-order discrepancy, which was addressed by updating the worksheet used during the canvass.