The recount of 31,000 absentee ballots in Milwaukee may delay the election results in Wisconsin.

Milwaukee election officials announced on Tuesday that they will conduct a recount of over 30,000 absentee ballots due to tabulation errors, which is expected to delay the release of results in a closely watched battleground state.

Officials in Milwaukee decided to order a recount of the 31,000 absentee ballots on Tuesday after discovering problems with 13 tabulator machines.

Senior election officials failed to secure the machines properly, causing them to lack physical seals, according to Fleming. The machines will be reset and recounted.

In consultation with both Republican and Democratic officials, the decision to recount absentee ballots was made, as stated by a county spokesperson.

Fleming admitted on Tuesday that the decision to recount the ballots was made out of "an abundance of caution," despite acknowledging the delays it will cause for the broader election results in the state.

Wisconsin's largest city, Milwaukee, is situated in one of the seven crucial battleground states that will influence the outcome of the next presidential election.

In the 2024 election cycle, Wisconsin is among the most competitive states.

In 2016, the Badger State was among the three Rust Belt states that backed Trump, but it later flipped to choose Joe Biden in 2020.

In 2020, Biden won the state by a margin of 20,682 votes. This narrow victory highlights the importance of transparency and care in the state's ballot counting and reporting process, as stressed by Fleming on Tuesday.

"Fleming informed reporters that the task that needs to be redone is what is happening against the wall at the machines. This will delay the time it takes to obtain the totals. The duration of the delay is unknown, so it is not insignificant."

Milwaukee was criticized by Republicans for its election administration error on Tuesday evening, with the GOP calling it an "unacceptable example of incompetence in a crucial swing state."

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley and Co-Chair Lara Trump stated that voters "deserve better" and called on Milwaukee's officials to count ballots "quickly and effectively."

"Anything less undermines voter confidence."