More than 800,000 Wisconsin voters have already requested an absentee ballot for the upcoming general election, according to the Wisconsin Elections Commission.
But some voters are now getting nervous about using the mail for those absentee ballots. The postal service warned states in a letter last week that mail-in ballots may not be received by election officials in time to be counted.
Here’s how to make sure your vote is counted this November.
Drop off absentee ballots at your clerk’s office
For those nervous about potential delays in the mail, Milwaukee County Elections Director Julietta Henry recommends dropping off absentee ballots at municipal clerks’ offices.
Ballots will be mailed to voters in mid-to-late September. The last day to submit an absentee ballot request is Oct. 29. Voters can make a request at https://myvote.wi.gov/en-us/.
“Put the request in now,” Madison Deputy City Clerk Jim Verbick said. “And no — it’s not too early.”
Mequon City Clerk Caroline Fochs said voters should have plenty of time to mail their ballots, though they also have the option of dropping ballots off at her office in a secure lockbox.
If an absentee ballot doesn’t arrive to a voter in a timely fashion, the voter should contact their municipal clerk’s office to get another ballot.
Those who already requested an absentee ballot can decide to vote in-person by simply showing up at their polling station. These voters are not required to bring the ballot they received in the mail.
If you need someone to witness your absentee ballot for you, a volunteer can visit you with social distancing and a mask. Contact Sami Stein Avner of Tikkun Ha-Ir Milwaukee at 414-501-3618 or Sami@THI-Milwaukee.org when you have your ballot and are ready for a volunteer witness.
Know the risks of in-person voting
Wisconsin voters will not be required to wear masks at the polls. Voters who choose not to wear masks may be asked to wait in a separate area and served by staff with extra personal protection equipment.
Poll workers will be required to wear masks. There will also be social distancing, available gloves, and sanitizing of highly touched surfaces at polling places, Fochs said.
Verbick encourages in-person voters to bring their own pens, though public pens will be sanitized between each use.
For voters who do wear a face covering, most will not be asked to remove their mask to verify that they match their ID, according to the Wisconsin Elections Commission.
Wisconsinites may also vote before Nov. 3 through absentee in-person voting, which will take place Oct. 20 through Oct. 29.
Poll workers needed
Fochs, Henry and Verbick all said more poll workers are needed for election day. Those interested can sign up by contacting their municipality’s clerk’s office.
“As we all know, the poll worker’s average age is sometimes in their 60s and 70s, and they’re also the same population that’s vulnerable right now with COVID-19,” Henry said. “So help out your neighbor.”