Wisconsin clerks have received over 199,000 absentee ballots for the upcoming presidential election. Although this figure may seem small compared to the return rates in 2020, it actually surpasses the total number of by-mail absentee ballots returned during the 2016 presidential contest.
According to the Wisconsin Elections Commission, a total of 515,514 absentee ballots have been mailed to voters in all 72 counties of the state as of Thursday. Of these, 199,206 ballots, accounting for nearly 36 percent, have already been returned.
Dane County has received a total of 28,359 absentee ballots at the clerks’ offices. Coming in a close second, Milwaukee County has received nearly 28,182 returned ballots, while Waukesha County has recorded an impressive 17,867 absentee ballots turned in.
During the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a significant surge in the use of absentee ballots by voters in Wisconsin. According to data from the elections commission, as of October 10, 2020, clerks had received nearly 676,000 absentee ballots, indicating a return rate of over 51 percent.
By-mail absentee ballots for this year have already surpassed the total number of ballots returned in the 2016 presidential election. In that year, only 163,917 ballots were returned, as reported by the former Government Accountability Board.
According to Wartman, the return-rate for absentee ballots in Waukesha County was approximately 20 percent before the pandemic.
According to Wartman, the county is currently experiencing a smooth process. However, she advises residents to proactively complete their voter registration before the upcoming November 5 election. By doing so, they can avoid encountering lengthy queues at their respective polling locations.