MADISON (Press release from the Government Accountability Board) - More than
545,000 voters requested absentee ballots so far – including more than 392,000
in clerks' offices – for the November 6 General Election, according to the
Government Accountability Board.
"It is clear absentee voting
plays an important role in the election, with more than half a million people
making requests during a shorter time period," said Kevin J. Kennedy,
Wisconsin's chief election official. "Absentee voting in clerks' offices
finished up Friday, giving clerks more time to be better prepared for Election
Day on Tuesday."
As of Monday morning, at
least 545,060 voters had requested absentee ballots, according to Wisconsin's
local election officials who track them using the Statewide Voter Registration
System (SVRS). There were 392,912 ballots requested in clerks' offices, and
152,148 ballots requested by mail and other methods.
The absentee ballot numbers
for Wisconsin are not complete because only military and permanent overseas
absentee ballots are required to be tracked in SVRS. However,
approximately 350 municipalities, including most major cities, track some or
all absentee ballots in addition to military and overseas ballots in
SVRS. Comparable pre-election numbers from four years ago are not
available. In 2008, 21 percent (633,610) of the 2.99 million ballots cast were
absentee ballots. Kennedy said it is still too early to say whether absentee
voting will exceed 2008 numbers.
In-person absentee voting in
the clerk's office ended on Friday, November 2. Mail-in absentee ballots must
be postmarked by Election Day and received in the municipal clerk's office by 4
p.m. the Friday after the election in order to be counted.
Elections Division
Administrator Nat Robinson urged the majority of voters who are going to the
polls on Election Day to be prepared by visiting the My Vote Wisconsin website,
where they can find their clerk's location and contact information, as well as
see a sample ballot and check their voter registration status: http://myvote.wi.gov.
Additional information about
absentee voting is available on the Board's website: http://gab.wi.gov/voters.
