FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

 WHAT IS AN ABSENTEE BALLOT? Not all voters can get to the polling place on Election Day. An absentee ballot is the printed ballot marked by an absent voter, sealed in a special envelope, and given or mailed to the municipal clerk. The municipal clerk ensures that each absentee ballot that is returned in a timely manner gets to the right polling place on Election Day. If accepted, the absentee ballot is counted as if the voter had cast the ballot in person.

WHO CAN REQUEST AND RECEIVE AND ABSENTEE BALLOT? Any qualified elector who registers to vote.   (A qualified elector is a United States citizen, 18 years of age or older, who has resided in the district in which he or she intends to Vote for at least ten days.)

HOW DOES AN ELECTOR REQUEST AN ABSENTEE BALLOT? The request is made to the municipal clerk in writing by using the  Application For Absentee Ballot (EB-121) (this can be obtained by going to the State Elections website http://elections.state.wi.us or by letter requesting an absentee ballot which provides substantially the same information required on the application form. In either case, the elector making the request must sign the “application.” (If a request is made for more than one person residing at the same address, each person must sign the request.)

WHAT ARE THE DEADLINES FOR MAKING A REQUEST? If the request is made by mail it must be in the office of the municipal clerk no later than 5:00 p.m. on the Thursday preceding an election. (This is the last day a clerk can mail an absentee ballot to an elector.)  if the request is made in-person at the clerk's office-it can be made until 5:00 p.m. on the day preceding the election.  Special provisions are made for hospitalized electors and sequestered jurors to request and vote by absentee ballot on Election Day.

HOW DO I CAST MY ABSENTEE BALLOT? When you receive your absentee ballot you should mark it in the presence of a witness who is an adult U.S. citizen.  The witness need not and should not see how you voted, only that you voted.

You should fold the completed ballot, place it in the absentee ballot certificate envelope and seal the envelope, then complete and sign the certificate and have the witness sign the certificate and then return the envelope containing the ballot either by mail or by personal delivery to the clerk by 5:00 p.m. on the day before the election.

ARE ABSENTEE BALLOTS EVER REJECTED?  Yes.  Along with meeting all the usual requirements, voters who vote by absentee ballot must follow special rules in completing and signing the certificate on the ballot envelope, and having the certificate witnessed.

If any of these rules aren't followed, election officials at the polling place must reject the absentee ballot.  These rules replace the safeguards normally present when a voter appears in person at the polling place.

I RECEIVED A WRITTEN REQUEST FOR ABSENTEE BALLOTS FROM A WOMAN WHO IS REQUESTING A BALLOT FOR HERSELF AND HER HUSBAND.  THE ONLY SIGNATURE ON THE REQUEST IS THAT OF THE WOMAN.  CAN I SEND THEM BOTH A BALLOT? The clerk is required to obtain a signed, written request from the elector before issuing an absentee ballot.  In the above scenario, a ballot should be issued to the woman.  The clerk should communicate with the husband and explain that when a signed, written request is received from him, a ballot will be issued.  The clerk can offer the elector the option of faxing a signed request and ensure that the elector knows he must follow up by mailing the original request.  A ballot is sent upon receipt of the faxed request; the clerk does not wait for the original request to arrive.  The elector may also appear in person in the clerk’s office to apply for and vote an absentee ballot.  S. 6.86(1), Wis. Stats.  El.Bd. 6.02, Wis. Adm.  2/11/2003

IF A VOTER CASTS AN ABSENTEE BALLOT, BUT DIES BEFORE ELECTION DAY, CAN THE BALLOT BE COUNTED?  No.  Absentee voting procedures allow an elector to complete a ballot before Election Day.  However, absentee ballots are not considered cast until Election Day.  If the voter is deceased at the time the absentee ballot is being processed at the polling place, the ballot cannot be counted.  S. 6.21, Wis. Stats. 3/12/2003

CAN A POWER OF ATTORNEY (POA) COMPLETE AN APPLICATION FOR ABSENTEE BALLOT FOR AN ELECTOR? Yes. A Power of Attorney can request an absentee ballot for an elector.  No person (not even a POA) may "vote" a ballot for another elector.  If the elector requires assistance in completing the ballot, the elector may designate another person to assist the elector in marking the ballot. 

*In the presence of the elector, the ballot is marked according to the elector's direction.  The assisting elector must sign their name on the ballot under the section entitled "Signature of Assisting Individual.  "The assisting elector cannot be the elector's employer or an agent of that employer or an officer or agent of a labor organization which represents the elector. S. 6.82(2)(a), Wis. Stats. 3/12/2003

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