Several key deadlines are rapidly approaching for eligible, registered Wisconsin voters seeking to cast an absentee ballot before the November 5 General Election. Starting today (Tuesday), two weeks before Election Day, municipal clerks can begin to issue in-person absentee ballots at the clerk’s office or another designated location. The in-person absentee voting (IPAV) process involves a voter both requesting and completing a ballot on the same trip to the clerk’s office or designated location. When a voter requests the in-person absentee ballot, they will complete it immediately in the clerk’s office, seal it in the proper envelope, and return it to a member of the clerk’s staff. No IPAV ballots may be taken out of the clerk’s office. In-person absentee ballots are securely stored by the municipal clerk until Election Day, when they are then processed and tabulated. Voters need to be registered and show an acceptable photo ID when voting by in-person absentee ballot.
Municipalities may offer in-person absentee voting through Sunday, November 3. Importantly, the times and locations of in-person absentee voting will differ from municipality to municipality, so voters will need to check with their municipal clerk as to IPAV opportunities available to them. Some smaller jurisdictions choose to offer IPAV by appointment only. Voters may view IPAV availability by entering their voting address on the MyVote Wisconsin website at myvote.wi.gov/en-us/Vote-Absentee-In-Person.
Meanwhile, Thursday, October 31st, is the last day for most voters to request an absentee ballot by mail, online, email, or fax for the November 5 General Election. In practical terms, though, that results in an unrealistic timeframe for the voter to complete the ballot and return it to their clerk by Election Day. Voters who still want to request an absentee ballot by mail should act immediately, said Wisconsin Elections Commission Meagan Wolfe, the state’s chief election official. Registered voters can make their requests online at myvote.wi.gov.
