Absentee Ballot Requests, Clerk-Office Voting Tallies High for Recall

Tens of thousands of Wisconsin residents are already taking advantage of absentee voting for the June 5 recall election, according to the Government Accountability Board.

As of Wednesday, at least 90,000 absentee ballots had been issued by Wisconsin’s local election officials who track them using the Statewide Voter Registration System (SVRS). A total of 68,000 absentee ballots were tracked in SVRS for the May 8 recall primary.

“These numbers confirm anecdotal reports we are hearing from local election officials that there is strong interest in absentee voting,” said Kevin J. Kennedy, director and general counsel of the G.A.B, in a press release.

Interest in Greenfield is certainly high, according to City Clerk Jennifer Goergen. She said her office mailed out 922 absentee ballots on May 21, and that her office had been receiving absentee ballot requests for the June 5 since before the primary May 8.

Absentee ballot requests have remained steady.

“We’ve been receiving approximately 25 requests for absentee ballots to be mailed out per day (and) approximately 50 over the weekend,” Goergen said. “Voting in-person in our office has been steady.”

In-person absentee voting in the clerk’s office started Monday morning and runs through 5 p.m. Friday, June 1. So far, the votes are pouring in.

Goergen said Greenfield had 33 absentee ballots turned in to the clerk’s office in the February primary, 102 for the April spring election and 244 for the May gubernatorial primary. In the first three days of voting for the June 5 recall, Goergen’s office has received 256 ballots voted in person.

Goergen predicted Greenfield will have between 4,000-6,000 absentee ballots for next month's election, and believes the voter turnout will closely resemble the turnout for a presidential election, if it’s not higher. In 2008, when President Barack Obama defeated John McCain, Greenfield had an 87-percent voter turnout.

The deadline for voters to request an absentee ballot by mail was 5 p.m. Thursday.

Military voters and those who are indefinitely confined due to age, disability, infirmity or illness may request absentee ballots by 5 p.m. Friday, June 1. Hospitalized voters and sequestered jurors must request ballots by 5 p.m. on Election Day. All absentee ballots must be postmarked by Election Day, and received by 4 p.m. Friday, June 8 in order to be counted.

Wisconsin voters must be registered to receive a ballot. Those who are not registered must provide acceptable proof of residence to register. While the state’s photo ID law has been enjoined by the courts, other provisions in Wisconsin Act 23 remain in force, expanding the residency requirement from 10 to 28 consecutive days and ending the practice of “vouching” for people registering to vote who do not have acceptable proof of residence.