Tuesday Was Last Day to Safely Mail Ballot

Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision Tuesday, ruling against an extension returning absentee ballots, Milwaukee area election officials are recommending that anyone still holding onto their absentee ballot drop it off at an absentee dropbox or bring it directly to your local clerk’s office, which you can do until 8 p.m. on election day.

“At this late date… I would just take my ballot directly to my clerks office,”  said Julietta Henry, elections director for the Milwaukee County Election Commission.

For residents of the City of Milwaukee, there are 15 absentee ballot drop boxes at various locations around the city. These drop boxes can be found outside of each Milwaukee Public Library branch, and outside of City Hall.

The city’s 14 early voting locations — which can be found below — will also be open through Sunday Nov. 1. And early voting locations in all county suburban municipalities will be open until 5 p.m. on Friday, Henry said.

More than 296,000 absentee ballots have been issued so far in Milwaukee County. Approximately 55,000 of those were for in-person early voting. Of those ballots issued, more than 235,000 have been returned. So 70% of absentee voters have already voted.

In the City of Milwaukee, of the approximately 155,000 absentee ballots that have been requested, nearly 120,000 have been returned. And this includes more than 32,000 that have voted in the eight days since in-person absentee voting opened in the city, said Claire Woodall-Vogg, executive director of the Milwaukee Election Commission.

Right now the city is on track to beat the early voting record set in 2016, Woodall-Vogg said at a media briefing Tuesday.

The city is doing well on poll workers. It has recruited and trained more than 3,500 poll workers for election day. However, the number of suburban municipalities are still experiencing a poll worker shortage. If you are interested in becoming a poll worker, contact your local clerk’s office.

Election workers in the county clerk’s office can’t begin counting ballots until 7 a.m. on election day when polls open. It is anticipated that they will not be finished until between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. early Wednesday morning, Henry said. “It is going to be a very long night.”

George L. Christenson, Milwaukee County Clerk, said that’s a good thing. “It should take time,” he said. “It’s not a cause for concern. It’s a sign that democracy is working.”

The pandemic has certainly complicated the logistics of holding and certifying a presidential election, Christenson said. “However, we’re ready, and I think people need to know that.”

“Elections are about getting things right, not getting things fast,” Christenson said.

Poll workers cannot force voters to wear a mask when voting. But elections officials are urging the public to follow public health safety guidelines when voting during this pandemic. That means social distancing whenever possible and wearing a mask.

Early Voting Locations

The following sites will be open weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

• Frank P. Zeidler Municipal Building – 841 N. Broadway
• Midtown Center – 5700 W. Capitol Dr.
• Zablocki Library – 3501 W. Oklahoma Ave.

The following sites will be open shorter hours (Monday-Tuesday 7:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., Wednesday-Friday 1:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., Saturday-Sunday 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.):

• Bay View Library – 2566 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.
• Cannon Park Pavilion – 303 N. 95th St.
• Clinton Rose Senior Center – 3045 N. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr.
• East Library – 2320 N. Cramer St.
• Good Hope Library – 7717 W. Good Hope Rd.
• Mitchell Street Library – 906 W. Historic Mitchell St.
• Tippecanoe Library – 3912 S. Howell Ave.
• Villard Square Library – 5190 N. 35th St.
• Washington Park Library – 2121 N. Sherman Blvd.

The UW-Milwaukee Student Union (2200 E. Kenwood Blvd.) will be open Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The Milwaukee Area Technical College downtown campus T-building (1101 N. 6th St.) will be open Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.