Wisconsin recount observers given poop emoji wristbands

Wisconsin election observers in Milwaukee were given wristbands bearing the poop emoji Tuesday during the fifth day of watching the recount requested by President Trump’s campaign.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter Mary Spicuzza posted a photo of the wristband on Twitter Tuesday, along with videos of workers counting ballots throughout the day. 

Today’s recount wristband in Milwaukee. pic.twitter.com/CY2mJg41BJ

— Mary Spicuzza (@MSpicuzzaMJS) November 24, 2020

According to Spicuzza, wristbands are given to observers each day, and had previously featured markings including the letters “VIP” in gold or purple lettering. 

Conservative radio talk show host Vicki McKenna tweeted that a volunteer was not happy about being forced to wear the poop emoji bracelet. 

“Staff, attorneys and volunteers all wearing them. Do these people NOT take elections seriously?” McKenna asked.

The Journal Sentinel reported that neither the Wisconsin Elections Commission nor Milwaukee County officials overseeing the recount were involved in the decision to use the poop emoji wristbands. 

Milwaukee County Clerk George Christenson told reporters that he didn’t understand the controversy surrounding the wristband Tuesday. 

“I always thought it was chocolate ice cream, personally,” he said. “Wisconsin Center is our vendor. They handle the logistics. They are probably just pulling what they have in stock, because this is the first opportunity they’ve had to be open in quite some time due to this pandemic. So again, it’s a non-issue. Everybody got one.”

“I think this shows that some people are just desperate for any controversy that they hope will distract from the fact that the recount is going smoothly and will confirm the results reported on election night,” the clerk added.

Trump’s campaign last week requested recounts in Milwaukee and Dane, Wisconsin’s two largest and most liberal counties, in an effort to undo President-elect Joe Biden‘s victory in the state.

According to estimates from The Associated Press, Biden leads Trump in the Badger State, one of several he flipped this year after Trump won it in 2016, by more than 20,600 votes.

The Journal Sentinel later reported that election officials Tuesday had discovered 386 absentee ballot envelopes from a southern Milwaukee ward that had not been opened or counted on Election Day due to “human error,” according to Claire Woodall-Vogg, executive director of the Milwaukee Election Commission.

The three-member Milwaukee County Board of Canvassers voted unanimously Tuesday that the ballot envelopes be opened and counted. 

After a 3-0 vote by Milwaukee’s elections board (or Board of Canvassers) the envelopes were delivered back to the table for the ward so they can be opened and counted. pic.twitter.com/eCyTnbZcbo

— Mary Spicuzza (@MSpicuzzaMJS) November 24, 2020

Christenson said Saturday that ballot tabulation observers for Trump had tried to obstruct the recount, with some observers objecting to nearly every ballot pulled to count. 

Christenson said the complaints were putting the recount behind schedule, and many observers were breaking rules by interrupting vote counters with questions or objections. He added that the behavior was “unacceptable.”

A lawyer speaking on behalf of the Trump campaign denied any allegations that his side acted in bad faith.

Trump’s campaign paid $3 million, as required by Wisconsin state law, for the partial recount. The recount started Friday and must be completed by Dec. 1.