MADISON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Election officials in Wisconsin have been busy ensuring everything operates as smoothly as possible when polling locations open this morning.
On Monday, the Wisconsin Elections Commission provided more information — and important reminders for voters — ahead of Election Day.
The WEC says nearly 950,000 people in Wisconsin cast a ballot during in-person absentee this election cycle. Officials say that appears to be a record-breaking number.
And with such a large number of absentee ballots issued and returned, the WEC recognizes it will take longer to record those results.
“When there’s more absentee ballots, it’s going to take longer to count more absentee ballots. It’s just sort of simple math,” said Meagan Wolfe, WEC administrator. “With that being said, I think a lot of our jurisdictions went into this election knowing that we were going to have high number of absentees this year and looking to provide efficiencies to their counting process.”
Anyone who still has their absentee ballot should contact their local clerk to see what options are available to drop off their ballot.
All votes, no matter when the ballots were filled out, are counted on Election Day.
“If a voter is using a drop box or if they’re dropping off their by-mail ballot at the Clerk’s office, they have to make sure that the ballot is returned by 8 p.m. on Election Day,” Wolfe said.
With high turnout expected, the Wisconsin Election Commission says voters should practice patience, when it comes to unofficial election results being released.
“Election officials are always going to prioritize accuracy, integrity and transparency over speed,” said Wolfe.
Just because you’re waiting until the early morning hours doesn’t mean that anything has gone wrong. This just means that our election official again are prioritizing accuracy.
In Green Bay, City Clerk Celestine Jeffreys added a few reminders of her own for voters.
Be sure to check where your polling location is beforehand, have patience when in line to vote and don’t wear partisan clothing to the polls — it’s state law.
“Wear it when you get home from the polling location, wear it the day after, but in the polling location is really not appropriate,” Jeffreys said.
With the nation watching closely, battleground Wisconsin will surely be packing the polls Tuesday.
Officials remind voters that on Election Day, voters must be in line at their polling location by 8 p.m.
If a voter is not yet registered, or need to update their name or address, you can do so at your polling location on Election Day.
Every person must provide a form of photo ID at the polls. This could be a official Wisconsin driver’s license, a U.S. passport, or a military ID.
The WEC also echoed that it is illegal for anyone who is not a U.S. citizen to register or vote in any Wisconsin elections.
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