Election commission: April ballot shortages tied to historic turnout, logistics; commission vows tech, staffing and planning changes

City election officials told the Milwaukee Common Council’s Judiciary & Legislation Committee that the April 1 spring election produced unusually high turnout and a concentrated, time‑of‑day surge in demand that drove temporary paper‑ballot shortages at a small number of polling sites.

"April election was a record‑breaking election," Pauline Gutierrez, executive director of the Milwaukee Election Commission, said. She and Deputy Director Marisha Harris said the office received unusually high call volumes to the commission's triage hotline — "nearly a thousand phone calls" — and documented ballot‑related problems at roughly 69 sites citywide, with about nine sites experiencing a period during which both regular and express vote ballots were depleted.

Why it matters: The shortage produced long lines at some polling places and raised concerns from council members about voter access, the commission’s logistics and whether some voters left without voting. Commission leaders said they will change ordering and operations procedures to reduce the chance of a recurrence.

What happened and how…