Wisconsin early voting; shorter lines, system lags ease
MILWAUKEE - After long lines and technical problems, early voting in Wisconsin is going much smoother on Friday, Oct. 25. Huge voter turnout slowed things down across the state earlier in the week.
After days of winding lines and long waits, voters are not complaining.
"It wasn’t bad, maybe about 20 minutes. It’s not bad at all," said Rod Kenel, early voter.
"Very easy," said Ingrid Thorson-Yunck, early voter.
High voter turnout slowed down statewide voting days ago. The Wisconsin Election Commission said it caused the system lag. Clerks saw issues with printing labels for ballots.
"It was taking like instantaneously 30 seconds to print a label, then it went to a minute-and-a-half, then it went up to five minutes," said Linda Gourdoux, Interim Waukesha City Clerk.
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Gourdoux is the interim Waukesha City Clerk. She said the election commission has fixed the problems – and things are back on track.
"WEC let us know that they would restart the server at 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m. and that seems to be working and keeping everything flowing and moving quickly," Gourdoux said.
Waukesha early voters waited less than an hour to cast their ballots.
"You had to wait in a bunch of lines, but they moved quickly and everyone was very friendly and very helpful," Thorson-Yunck said.
With a similar story in Milwaukee, at one of the city's busiest early voting sites on Capitol Drive – a three-hour wait days ago is now just about 30 minutes.
"It’s kind of exciting to see our democracy at work," Kenel said.
Voters said they will wait however long it takes in this election.
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"I feel it’s my duty to do this. People died for the right to vote. This country stands on that. That’s what democracy is, voting," said Melva Tatum, early voter.
2024 Election: Wisconsin Voting Guide, what you need to know
We hear it all the time – this next election is the most important of our lives. Our message to you is simply this – let your voice be heard by casting a ballot – make your vote count.
In the City of Milwaukee, you can early vote over the weekend. Voters are reminded to bring a valid photo ID – and your patience.