110,000+ Wisconsinites requested absentee ballots, voted early

MADISON -- More than 110,000 Wisconsin residents have already requested absentee ballots or voted absentee in the clerk’s office for the June 5 recall election. That's according to Wisconsin's Government Accountability Board.

As of midday Friday, May 25th, at least 113,558 absentee ballots had been issued by Wisconsin’s local election officials who track them using the Statewide Voter Registration System (SVRS). Just over one-third of municipalities track absentee ballots in SVRS, including all the state’s large cities.

To give that number some context, the GAB says a total of 68,000 absentee ballots were tracked in SVRS for the May 8 recall primary. Also, there were 230,744 absentee ballots cast in the November 2010 General Election for Governor. As many as 75 percent of all absentee ballots are typically cast in the clerk’s office, with the remainder being delivered by mail.

In-person absentee voting in the clerk’s office runs through 5 p.m. or the close of business on Friday, June 1, whichever is later. Some clerks are offering extended hours to handle demand. Voters can find their local clerk’s office address and phone number on Voter Public Access: vpa.wi.gov.

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