Extended hours available for absentee voting in recall election

MADISON -- Absentee voting for the June 5th recall election began Monday, May 21st. In Milwaukee, voters now have extended hours to cast their absentee ballots.

Early or absentee voting in Milwaukee goes until 7 p.m. each weekday evening until the Friday before election day, June 5th. These are extended hours. There will also be Saturday voting from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. and Sunday voting from noon to 4:00 p.m.

Voters can vote on Memorial Day - next Monday, May 28th - the first time for holiday voting in Milwaukee.

"I've received a lot of calls from people who are asking why we are not open longer. Why we closed down at 4:30 everyday when people work. They want to be able to come here and vote absentee, but they can`t get away from work during the day, so we thought we`d extend the hours, two and a half hours everyday," Sue Edman with the Milwaukee Election Commission said.

Voters came by the van loads on Monday in an effort spearheaded by Wisconsin Jobs Now.

"We go from door to door, knocking, seeing if people have registered. Have they ever voted before? We let them know that we will provide a ride for them," Edward Jude with Wisconsin Jobs Now said.

Tony and Kathy Meir will be away on vacation June 5th, so they came on the first day of early voting. "This is such a big election with the recall and everything. It's my right to vote and I want to make sure I get it in there," Kathy Meir said.

CLICK HERE for more information on voting absentee for City of Milwaukee residents.

CLICK HERE for more information on absentee voting via the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board's website. Here, you can also download an absentee ballot.

A new law may dictate how students vote in Wisconsin's historic recall election on June 5th. As a result, both parties are pushing absentee voting, especially for students.

Part of the "Voter ID Law" is still in place, and some say it could affect the outcome of the recall race. The law requires people to live in their voting residence for 28 days prior to the election. Students going home for the summer won't meet that requirement.

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