2022 Midterm Elections: When, How To Get Absentee Ballots In Wisconsin

WISCONSIN — Wisconsin is among a handful of states where voters can now request an absentee ballot as tight races for U.S. Senate and governor enter their final stretch.

Some things have changed since the 2020 general election. The Wisconsin Supreme Court recently decided that dropboxes are largely outside of the law, and in the same ruling, the court drew constrictions on people returning ballots for others. But the procedure to vote absentee in Wisconsin is largely the same since previous elections.

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On Election Day, Wisconsin voters will decide Wisconsin's next governor and U.S. Senator. The race is on between incumbent Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, and construction company executive Tim Michels, a Republican. In the race for U.S. Senate, Republican Ron Johnson is defending his seat against Democrat Mandela Barnes, who currently serves as the state Lt. Gov.

Voters will also see races for attorney general on the ballot, and many will see races for the Wisconsin Assembly.

Multiple states have changed their election laws after the COVID-19 pandemic upended voting patterns in the presidential election, with 69 percent of Americans casting ballots nontraditionally, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.

Sponsors of new state laws on absentee voting say the changes improve election security, while critics say they make it harder for people to vote.

RELATED: Absentee Ballot Drop Boxes Illegal, Wisconsin Supreme Court Rules

Important Dates for Obtaining Absentee Ballots in Wisconsin

The deadline for most voters to request an absentee ballot is Nov. 3 at 5 p.m.

To find your polling place, request a ballot and more, visit myvote.wi.gov.

If you plan on returning your absentee ballot through the mail, the U.S. Postal Service has advised people to allow plenty of time. In fact, USPS said people should drop their ballots in the mail by Nov. 1, which is before Wisconsin's deadline to request an absentee ballot.

Clerks will begin sending out ballot requests they have on file by Sept 22 at the latest. Afterward, once they get a request, they are obligated to fulfill it within two business days. Once clerks receive the official ballots they are able to send them out.

If you find yourself with an absentee ballot to return, but little time to do it, you can get it to your local clerk by 8 p.m. You can drop it off yourself to your clerk ahead of time or on election day either at their office or sometimes at your polling place.

Most municipalities will allow in-person absentee voting beginning on Oct. 25 up until the weekend before the election. Be sure to check with your local clerk on voting early in person.

Voters who are in the military, hospitalized, or indefinitely confined may have other deadlines. See a list of all deadlines you should know at the Wisconsin Election Commission website.

In the 2020 presidential election, 43 percent of voters cast absentee ballots by mail and 26 percent voted in person before Election Day, according to the Census Bureau. Four years earlier, 21 percent of voters mailed in their ballots and 19 percent voted in person before Election Day.

Among groups seeing increases in absentee or early voting in 2020 were voters over 65, those with a bachelor’s degree, women, and Asian and Hispanic voters, according to the Census Bureau.

Absentee ballot requests are already being taken in several states. Once the applications are verified, election officials begin mailing them during the times specified in state laws, according to information gathered by the National Conference of State Legislatures.

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