MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- The chair of the state Assembly elections committee sent a letter Friday, Aug. 21 to the chair of the Milwaukee Election Commission seeking answers as to how "human error" caused an agency official to download the wrong info onto memory sticks five different times during this month's primary election.

Rep. Dave Maxey (R-New Berlin) sent a series of questions of Milwaukee Election Commission (MEC) Director Paulina Gutierrez. 

CBS 58 cameras captured video on election night showing a commission official repeatedly exporting audit logs from vote-counting machines instead of the election results.

The mishaps forced officials to return to Milwaukee's central count location from the county courthouse and download the actual results.

There's no evidence indicated the mistake affecting the elections results, but it delayed reporting of Milwaukee's absentee ballots by an hour.

It was the third gaffe in Milwaukee's election administration in as many years, following the failure to secure the door on a vote-counting machine in 2024 and ballot shortages at polling places in 2025.

"Milwaukee runs the largest central count operation in this state, and one of the most scrutinized in the country," Maxey wrote to Gutierrez. "That is precisely why there is no excuse for repeatedly getting the fundamentals wrong."

Maxey wrote he expects a written response within 30 days. He told CBS 58 Friday afternoon if there is no response, or if the response is unsatisfactory, he will call a meeting of the Assembly elections committee and request testimony from Gutierrez.

"If you cannot correct these mistakes and finally give Milwaukee voters an election operation they can count on," Maxey wrote. "Then I believe you should resign."

City of Milwaukee Spokeswoman Caroline Reinwald confirmed the election commission received a copy of Maxey's letter and added Gutierrez is preparing a formal response.

"As MEC has shared, the August 11 mistake delayed the reporting of Milwaukee’s results, but it did not impact the accuracy of those results," Reinwald told CBS 58 in an email. "MEC has taken responsibility for what happened and is already working through changes to strengthen the process ahead of November."