MADISON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Wisconsin voters continue requesting absentee ballots at a record pace as concerns grow over COVID-19 pandemic.
The spring election April 7 includes the presidential primary, the race for Wisconsin Supreme Court and local government races. Although some local leaders have called for the election to be postponed or conducted completely by mail, state leaders have said election day will remain April 7. They are encouraging people to request absentee ballots ahead of time to avoid in-person voting.
The Wisconsin Elections Commission says as of Tuesday morning, 554,116 absentee applications have been received by Wisconsin municipal clerks, compared to 482,740 on Monday and 134,556 the previous Monday one week earlier.
More than 520,000 absentee ballots have already been issued, mostly by mail.
“We remain encouraged that so many voters are requesting absentee ballots already, especially through the MyVote Wisconsin website,” said Meagan Wolfe, Wisconsin’s chief elections official. “We want everyone who is eligible and who wants to vote to be able to do so safely,” she said. “Absentee voting will also greatly reduce crowds at polling places on Election Day, which will make social distancing much easier.”
WEC is working as quickly to reopen online voter registration at MyVote Wisconsin and once available it will remain open until March 30.
How to Request an Absentee Ballot:
There are several ways registered voters can request absentee ballots. If they have internet access, the easiest way is to sign up at MyVote Wisconsin, https://myvote.wi.gov. Just look for the “Vote Absentee” button near the top of the page and follow three-step process. Absentee ballot requests submitted this way go directly to your clerk’s office, and you can track your ballot by returning to the website.
Voters can also request absentee ballots by mailing, emailing or faxing their municipal clerk’s office. You can find your clerk’s contact information on MyVote Wisconsin. These requests must be accompanied by a copy of your photo ID. If you already have a photo ID on file from previous absentee requests under your current registration, you will not need to provide it again.
Voters who are indefinitely confined, meaning they may have difficulty getting to the polls for reason of age, illness, infirmity, or disability are not required to provide a photo ID. Voters in care facilities can have a representative of the facility confirm the resident’s identity instead of providing a photo ID. More information on photo ID and exemptions can be found at bringit.wi.gov.
The deadline for registered voters to request an absentee ballot be mailed to you is the Thursday before the election, April 2.
However, the WEC urges voters not to wait, due to possible delays in mail delivery. If you get an absentee ballot mailed to you, you can still decide to vote at the polls on Election Day if you haven’t returned it.
