(WTAQ-WLUK) — Election Day two weeks away and in-person absentee voting begins Tuesday.
On Nov. 3, Wisconsin voters will decide who becomes the state’s next governor, among other races and municipal clerks are getting ready.
“Prepping, getting all the equipment ready, programming the express votes, getting the ballots allocated so it’s easy for the people handing them, getting all the envelopes staged. So there’s a lot to do,” Bellevue Deputy Clerk Lisa Loberger said.
Loberger said the village is trying something new this election.
Absentee voters can make appointments from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m., with walk-ins from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Mail-in absentee voting began mid-September and Bellevue has received back just over the half of the ballots sent out.
If you plan on mailing in your absentee ballot, at this point, municipal clerks suggest sending it in as soon as possible or at least a week before the election. This will ensure it gets in the hands of your clerk in time to be counted.
During the April election, hundreds of ballots sent via USPS arrived too late, according to the Wisconsin Elections Commission.
About two-thirds of clerks reported problems receiving mail-in ballots.
So far, clerks have more confidence in the Postal Service this time around.
“I’ve been watching when I send them out and when the residents get them, and it’s been really good. I haven’t had any lost ballots, so I’m really happy with that,” Loberger said.
Last week, the WEC said about 128,000 absentee ballots had been returned, that’s nearly 56,000 fewer at the same point in 2022.
However, that election also included a U.S. Senate race.
“We’ve gotten about half of them back already. So I think the mail is definitely looking at ballots as more of a priority than what they have in April,” Fond du Lac City Clerk Margaret Hefter said.
In Fond du Lac, absentee requests have been lower this election than previous ones.
“That’s where we’re wondering if people are going to be waiting to come in voting in person for the next two weeks. Or I think maybe people are just going to go back to showing up on Election Day,” Hefter said.
All ballots must be returned by 8 p.m. on Election Day.
Follow this link to see what exactly will be on your ballot.
