2024 Post-Election Voting Equipment Audit Results Summary
The 2024 Post-Election Voting Equipment Audit was the largest audit of its kind ever administered in Wisconsin. Following the 2024 General Election, local election officials audited over 327,000 ballots by hand to confirm the voting equipment used throughout the state accurately tabulated votes and remained secure. Post-election audits are a critical means by which election officials publicly show the effectiveness of the procedures, policies, and best practices in place, as well as dispel any misinformation or disinformation about the security of electronic voting systems.
This report will provide detailed information about all stages of the post-election audit process. This includes preparations made by Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC or Commission) staff, communications to local election officials, administration of the audit at the local level, and a broader discussion of the results of the audit, including breakdowns of the equipment audited, human or equipment errors encountered, a summary of the reimbursement paid to municipalities, and implications for future audits.
After an in-depth review of all materials submitted by local election officials, WEC staff found no evidence that any of the voting systems used and audited in Wisconsin changed votes from one candidate to another, incorrectly tabulated votes, or altered the outcome of any audited contest.
There was no evidence of programming errors, unauthorized alterations or “hacking” of voting equipment software or hardware, or any equipment malfunctions that changed the outcome of any contests on the ballot. That said, this report will also highlight certain limitations of electronic voting systems and provide several suggestions as to how to improve the administrative procedures required to ensure the continued effectiveness of those systems.