Start of In-Person Absentee Voting, Other Important Dates for Spring Election Approac

MADISON, WI – A number of key deadlines are approaching for eligible Wisconsin voters seeking to participate in the April 1 Spring Election.

Starting on Tuesday, March 18 – two weeks before Election Day – clerks can begin to issue in-person absentee ballots at the clerk’s office or at other designated locations. The in-person absentee voting (IPAV) process involves a voter both requesting a ballot and completing that ballot on the same trip to the clerk’s office or designated location.

When a voter requests an absentee ballot in their municipal clerk’s office, or another designated location, they will complete their ballot immediately, seal the ballot in the proper envelope, and return it to a member of the clerk’s staff. No IPAV ballots may be taken out of the voting site.

Voters need to show an acceptable photo ID before voting an in-person absentee ballot. More information about acceptable photo IDs can be found on the WEC’s Photo ID page.

According to state law, clerks can make in-person absentee voting available through Sunday, March 30. Municipalities are not required to offer IPAV through March 30, but they cannot offer it beyond that date. Voters should check with their municipal clerk to learn the dates and times for IPAV opportunities in their community.

Meanwhile, Thursday, March 27 is the last day for most voters to request an absentee ballot for the April 1 Spring Election. In practical terms, though, the deadline results in an unrealistic timeframe for the voter to receive the ballot, complete it, and return it to their clerk by Election Day.

This means registered voters who still wish to request an absentee ballot by mail should act quickly, said Meagan Wolfe, administrator of the WEC and the state’s chief election official. Registered voters can make their requests online at https://myvote.wi.gov.

Wolfe pointed out that ballots must be returned to the local clerk by 8 p.m. on Election Day to be counted, and that the U.S. Postal Service advises that local mailings can take up to seven days to arrive. “If you’re planning to mail your ballot back, you should do so as soon as possible,” Wolfe said.

Would-be voters who are not yet registered can do so in their clerk’s office or other designated location until 5 p.m. on Friday, March 28. The deadline has passed for voters seeking to register through the mail or online, but in-person registration is available, again, through March 28. Finally, voters may also register in-person at their polling place on Election Day.

On a related topic, the WEC has received recent reports from concerned voters and local election officials regarding unsolicited communications from third-party groups that may provide inaccurate or misleading information about the upcoming election.

In at least one case, an incorrect date was used for the April 1 Spring Election. Voters should be cautious about any unofficial voting-related communications – including text messages, emails, mailers, phone calls, robocalls, postcards, and more – from unfamiliar sources. Sometimes, these misleading communications even appear to mimic communications from an official government source. They often use outdated, incomplete, or simply inaccurate data that they communicate to voters.

When it comes to voting information, Wisconsinites should rely on official sources, such as the WEC’s official MyVote.wi.gov website. There, voters can check their registration status, review their voter history (the voter’s past election participation), find their polling place, review their sample ballot, request an absentee ballot, track that ballot, or learn about in-person absentee voting options.

Voters can also contact their municipal clerk, who can confirm a voter’s registration status and answer any questions a voter might have in advance of the April 1 Spring Election. Voters can find their clerk’s contact information on the MyVote.wi.gov website.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.