Both Parties Now Push Early Voting

An absentee ballot. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.

Although former President Donald Trump called early voting “stupid” in a Pennsylvania rally last month, he twice in one week asked Wisconsin Republicans to do just that.

At a campaign rally last week in Dane County, Trump said, “Remember, early mail-in voting is underway. So vote, vote, vote. You got to get going.” He repeated that challenge at a weekend rally in Juneau County.

A Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC) summary says absentee voting in Wisconsin soared from 7% in the spring 2012 primary to 65% in the partisan primary in August 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the November 2020 presidential election, 59.7% of all votes were absentee ballots. That number was 21% in both the 2012 and 2016 elections.

More than 3.2 million votes were cast in the 2020 presidential election in Wisconsin, and all signs – including high turnout in the August partisan primary – point to another heavy turnout in just four weeks.

That means many voters who may want to avoid waiting in line, or who don’t want to take a chance on being exposed to Covid or another respiratory ailment by voting in person, or who will be away on that day, will again vote absentee. Voters don’t have to give a reason for wanting to vote absentee.

Thinking of early voting this time? Here’s a primer on how to get, and cast, an absentee ballot.

First, you must be a registered voter to request an absentee ballot. “If you are not registered or your name or address has changed, you will need to register or update your registration before requesting an absentee ballot,” the WEC advises. You can do that at the online site myvote.wi.gov.

When you are a registered voter, you can request an absentee ballot – by mail, online or in person. And, according to vote.org, they must be requested by Sunday Nov. 3, if you ask for one in person, or the Thursday before Nov. 5, if you make your request by mail or online.

But the voter guide of Common Cause Wisconsin has this advice: “We recommend making this request as soon as possible so you have time to receive, complete, and return your ballot to be counted.”

When you have your absentee ballot, be careful to complete it properly.

When you’re finished voting, “Don’t forget: The ballot envelope needs a witness signature and the complete address of the witness, filled out by the witness,” Common Cause reminds voters.

Your absentee ballot will not be counted if the ballot envelope is missing a witness signature and/or a witness address with their street number, street name, and their municipality.

“Voters with a disability who need assistance may have someone return their ballot,” Common Cause adds.

Now that you have filled out your absentee ballot, and it’s been witnessed by someone who provides their signature and address, get it to your municipal clerk on time.

That absentee ballot must be returned – by mail, in person or placed in a secure “drop box” in communities with them – by 8 p.m. on Nov. 5.

And, if you mail that absentee ballot, consider this: “The U.S. Postal Service recommends absentee ballots be mailed one week before Election Day to arrive in time.”

If you hope to put that completed absentee ballot in a drop box, the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin has this advice: “Voters who are returning their ballot by drop box should plan to return their own ballot. Voters should visit MyVote to see if their community is using drop boxes and where they are located.”

“We always want an overall high turnout,” says League President Debra Cronmiller.

“The absentee ballot allows access for voters who may not be able to get to an in-person, early voting location or their polling place,” Cronmiller adds. “Since polling places can be busy, some folks may still be cautious about Covid.”

You can then track your absentee ballot, to make sure it has been received and counted, at MyVote.

In a CNN interview Sept. 18 discussing the start of early voting, Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair Ben Wikler stressed the importance of every ballot, whether cast in person or absentee.

“Four of the last six presidential races here have been decided by less than 1% – less than 25,000 votes,” Wikler said. “That’s two or three votes per precinct across the state.”

Steven Walters started covering the Capitol in 1988. Contact him at stevenscotwalters@gmail.com