MADISON, Wis. – Nearly 200 absentee ballots in Madison from November’s general election were not properly processed, the City of Madison Clerk’s Office said Thursday.

The 193 ballots were from Wards 56, 65 and 68. They were discovered during post-election clean-up and reconciliation. The Clerk’s Office said the number of ballots was not enough to affect the outcome of any races or referendums.

“While the discovery of these unprocessed absentee ballots did not impact the results of any election or referendum, a discrepancy of this magnitude is unacceptable,” Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway said in a statement. “This oversight is a significant departure from the high standard our residents expect and must be addressed and avoided in future elections.”

One set of ballots was found in a sealed courier bag in a tabulator bin in Ward 65. The bag had 67 unprocessed ballots from Ward 65 and one from Ward 68, which the city said was mis-sorted.

Another set was discovered by the Clerk’s Office during the reconciliation process in Ward 56. Two sealed carrier envelopes were found containing 125 unprocessed absentee ballots.

The Clerk’s Office said it informed the Wisconsin Elections Commission of the unprocessed ballots before Dec. 20. The city will also be contacting affected voters individually to notify them. Those voters will receive a letter of apology from the Clerk’s Office.

The city said that, for future elections, each polling location will be given a list of absentee envelope seal numbers that will be verified as counted on Election Day.

Rhodes-Conway said the city will conduct a “thorough” review of its election policies.