Green Bay City Clerk Celestine Jeffreys has resigned amid investigations into her office twice mailing duplicate absentee ballots to voters this year, the City of Green Bay announced Friday.
“The City of Green Bay and Celestine Jeffreys are jointly announcing that Ms. Jeffreys has made the decision to step down from her role as City Clerk,” the city’s news release said. “We wish her the best in her future endeavors. This will be the City’s only statement on the matter.”
Jeffreys had been on administrative leave since July 9, when the Wisconsin Elections Commission authorized an investigation into the errors and the city launched its own internal review. Mayor Eric Genrich placed her on leave the same day the commission acted.
The first incident occurred ahead of the April 7 spring election, when Jeffreys’ office mailed duplicate absentee ballots to 152 voters. City officials later told the commission that Jeffreys herself printed the original labels for those requests and then either improperly handled or reprinted them, resulting in the duplicates.
Less than three months later, the office again sent duplicate ballots for the Aug. 11 partisan primary. Officials said voters in at least eight wards on the city’s west side received extras after Jeffreys reviewed a batch of printed labels, believed some were missing, and reprinted portions of the file. More than 200 voters were affected in that instance, according to city records and statements.
The city has maintained that safeguards ensured only one ballot per voter was counted in the April election and that similar measures were in place for the primary. Jeffreys previously described both episodes as printing errors and expressed regret while assuring the public that no improper votes would be tabulated.
The Wisconsin Elections Commission found probable cause that the April mailing violated state law. A formal complaint filed by the Republican Party of Wisconsin and a Brown County Republican Party official prompted the probe, which was expanded after the second set of duplicates surfaced.
Deputy Clerk Stacey Menke will serve as interim city clerk while the position is posted and a permanent replacement is selected, city officials said. The state and city investigations remain ongoing.
