MADISON, Wis. (WSAW) – Although Friday’s early in-person absentee voting numbers are not yet available, the Friday before Election Day for the 2020 presidential election was the most popular for those who voted in anticipation.

Lines were long Friday at several early voting locations, including in Kronenwetter about a half-hour before closing.

Voters who registered to receive an absentee ballot began receiving them in mid-September. Early voting by mail in person started last week Tuesday.

About 83% of the 645,190 absentee ballots requested were returned. The first three days of in-person mail voting were nearly 40% ahead of the same period in 2020. As of 7:30 a.m. Friday, 801,083 people had voted in person by mail, about 48% more than during the same period. period in 2020.

Wisconsin Elections Commission Administrator Meagan Wolfe advised the approximately 17% of voters who have not returned their mail-in absentee ballots that it is too late to put it in the mailbox and have it received at the clerk’s office on time.

“All ballots must be received at the polling location no later than 8 p.m. on Tuesday, November 5. So if you plan to return your ballot, be sure to allow enough time to be sure it will be returned and counted before 8 p.m. on Tuesday, November 5. Election day. »

Voters have the option of returning their ballot via an absentee ballot drop box – if their municipality provides one, directly to the clerk’s office, delivered to the polling place, or if the absentee ballot voter registration may be canceled to allow a voter to cast a new ballot. person on election day.

In Wisconsin, mail-in ballots cannot be counted until polls open on Election Day. The exact time it will take for these ballots to be counted depends on the number of absentee ballots a municipality receives and the municipality’s available resources to count these ballots. This is why, in some cases, ballots are counted long after the polls close for in-person voting.

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