Ahead of Wisconsin’s primary election on Tuesday, Aug. 11, county and city officials have noted a sharp uptick in absentee ballots.
According to the Wisconsin Elections Commission, Grant County had sent out more than 5,000 absentee ballots as of Wednesday. Iowa County had sent more than 3,100; Lafayette County, more than 1,500; and Crawford County, more than 1,400.
The commission reported more than 853,000 ballots sent out statewide. The last day to request regular voter absentee ballots is today.
Grant County Clerk Linda Gebhard said the county has received updates on absentee ballots daily from the county’s 52 municipalities.
“There’s not near as many (absentee ballot requests) as in April, but every day we receive a steady amount,” she said. “It’s more than we used to have. It’s the way voting will be going forward.”
The increase in absentee ballots first showed in the April 7 spring election and presidential preference primary.
Grant County had 7,774 absentee ballot requests in April, Lafayette County had 2,766, Crawford County had 2,311 and Iowa County had 5,633.
“It’s less than we had in April because it’s a primary,” said Lafayette County Chief Deputy Clerk Laurie Monson of the August absentee ballots. “But a primary has less voters regardless.”
Crawford County City Clerk Janet Geisler said many people who voted in April requested to receive absentee ballots for the remainder of the year. They automatically received ballots for next week’s primary, she said, and will receive absentee ballots again ahead of the Nov. 3 presidential election.
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For voters still planning to go to the polls in person, Gebhard added that polling places have been able to “fine-tune” how things will work with more signage and masks available to those who want them.
City clerks also noted the major increase in absentee ballots for this year’s primary.
Fennimore City Clerk Debi Heisner said the city has seen slightly fewer absentee requests than in April, but much more than ever before in a primary. So far, Fennimore has sent out 385 ballots.
“That will go up a little more by Friday,” she said. “Some people will be getting in their last-minute requests.”
City officials in Platteville, Dodgeville, Darlington, Cuba City and Shullsburg also said absentee ballots are much higher than in previous years, with 1,150, 749, 285, 214 and 139 absentee ballots sent out, respectively.
Lancaster City Clerk David Kurihara said the city has sent out 374 absentee ballots thus far. In the 2018 primary, he said only 48 voters requested to vote absentee.
In April, he noted, 602 of Lancaster’s 818 overall votes came in through absentee ballots.
“At least this year for sure (absentee voting will be high),” Kurihara said. “Last primary, 10% of votes were absentee. Now we’re getting up into 70 to 80%.”
