The experience changed her plans for future elections. “When you put it in the mail, you don’t know if it’s going to count — if it’s going to come or not,” Loma said.

Her decision reflects a broader shift in Wisconsin. Voters have requested about 20% fewer absentee ballots by mail than they had at the same point before the November 2022 election, and ballots that have been sent out are coming back more slowly. Clerks and election experts say the numbers may reflect concerns about postal delivery as well as voters opting to cast ballots in person after requesting one by mail.

Tuesday, Oct. 20, marked the first day of early voting. In New Berlin, Clerk Rubina Medina said her office was receiving 25 to 30 requests for mailed ballots a day, compared with 75 to 100 during past elections. In-person absentee voting, however, appeared as busy as usual, she said.

“We hear often” that voters don’t trust the mail, Medina said. She said she considers some of that distrust unwarranted, but acknowledged that delivery is slower than it once was. Her office now advises voters to mail ballots back two weeks before Election Day, rather than one week before.

Statewide figures show the slowdown. By Oct. 20, voters had returned 51.5% of the absentee ballots sent to them, down from 55.5% at the same point in 2022. The return rate was lower than it had been four years earlier in 63 of Wisconsin’s 72 counties.

The state had received about 191,000 absentee ballots by then, compared with nearly 259,000 at the same point in 2022. Election officials had sent out 372,000 ballots, down from 466,000.

Some voters say they prefer in-person voting for convenience. Greenfield resident Philip Zimmer said he typically votes early in person and sees the increasing politicization of mail voting as another reason to avoid it. In Milwaukee, Shan Nelson-Rowe said in-person absentee voting is simpler than voting by mail and quicker than waiting until Election Day. He said a neighbor who previously mailed ballots plans to use a drop box this year because of concerns about delivery.

The decline in mail voting is partly a return to pre-pandemic habits, said Barry Burden, a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. But he also pointed to falling confidence in the Postal Service. A September NPR/PBS News/Marist poll found 58% of Americans were confident election mail would arrive on time, down from 71% two years earlier.

“Voters are looking for ways to get around the Postal Service,” Burden said, including voting in person or returning a mailed ballot directly to a clerk’s office.

Other factors may be affecting absentee voting. Burden said some voters have left Wisconsin’s list of people who automatically receive absentee ballots, while high-profile ballot-related errors in the state may have discouraged others from voting by mail.

Several county clerks said voters are finding alternatives to postal delivery. Marathon County Clerk Kim Trueblood and Sheboygan County Clerk Jon Dolson expect some voters who requested mailed ballots to instead vote in person. Milwaukee election chief Paulina Gutiérrez said more voters have dropped off ballots themselves in recent elections. Green County Clerk Arianna Voegeli said mail delays may be contributing to the lower return rate.

Dane County Clerk Scott McDonell said his son, who is studying in Ireland, requested a ballot in September. It was sent in late September but had still not arrived, McDonell said.

Wisconsin Elections Commission Administrator Meagan Wolfe said she has heard widespread concern about delays but could not identify a single cause for the lower return rate. She urged voters who plan to return a ballot through the mail to send it promptly and recommended mailing it at least two weeks before the election.

For voters who remain uneasy about delivery, early in-person voting and direct ballot drop-off offer alternatives. Election officials are emphasizing that whichever method voters choose, leaving enough time is essential.