Politics
Wisconsin early absentee voting opens as officials anticipate busy final days
Wisconsin voters can begin casting absentee ballots in person Tuesday, with local schedules and sites set by municipalities. State election officials are urging voters who plan to mail ballots to act quickly ahead of the Nov. 3 deadline.
In-person absentee voting for Wisconsin’s Nov. 3 elections begins Tuesday, Oct. 20, giving voters a way to request, complete and return an absentee ballot in one visit to their local clerk’s office or another designated site.
Voting hours and locations vary by municipality, and the process is scheduled to continue through Nov. 1. Voters must show an eligible photo ID to receive a ballot. Local information is available at MyVote.WI.gov.
The Wisconsin Elections Commission reported that, as of Monday morning, voters had requested 364,888 absentee ballots and returned 173,164. At the same point in the 2022 election, 438,673 ballots had been requested and 195,287 returned.
Despite the lower totals so far, commission Administrator Meagan Wolfe said the early figures indicate local clerks should prepare for heavier in-person absentee voting. Officials expect turnout to be comparable to the roughly 2.6 million people who voted in Wisconsin’s 2022 midterm elections.
Concerns about how quickly and reliably ballots will move through the U.S. Postal Service may also contribute to demand for in-person voting, election officials have said. The commission recommends mailing absentee ballots at least two weeks before Election Day. Ballots must arrive by 8 p.m. Nov. 3 to be counted, Wolfe said.
Voters who have already received absentee ballots can return them directly to their local clerk’s office or, where available, use a ballot drop box. With Election Day approaching, Wolfe urged anyone mailing a ballot to send it as soon as possible.