Milwaukee Election Commission receives more than 200 absentee ballots day after election

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Election officials are reporting unusual activity surrounding absentee ballots.

The Milwaukee Election Commission confirms it received some absentee ballots on Election Day, and a larger number the following morning.

Officials say the timing is unusual and they're reviewing what happened. The commission says about 20 absentee ballots came in on April 7, which was Election Day. Another 269 ballots arrived the morning of April 8.

Officials say most of those ballots were either postmarked on or before April 6 or had no postmark. Under Wisconsin law, ballots that arrive after Election Day cannot be counted.

The commission says it's not uncommon for some absentee ballots to arrive late, but that the pattern in Milwaukee this week stands out.

"Our vision is that every eligible vote counts," Milwaukee Election Commission Executive Director Paulina Gutierrez said. "The fact that we have voters here who followed the rules and did everything they were supposed to do; their ballot, their vote did not count, and that is deeply unsettling."

The commission says it is working with the post office to further investigate the situation and get answers as to what happened.