Wisconsin absentee voting breaks state midterm record

More than 547,000 absentee ballots already in

Site staff by Site Contributor

Wisconsin has broken the state record for absentee ballots submitted during a midterm election, according to a news release from the Wisconsin Elections Commission.

With more than 547,000 absentee ballots already turned in before Election Day Tuesday, the state has overtaken the 2014 record of 374,294. That’s a difference of more than 170,000 ballots.

More than 547,000 absentee ballots have already been returned for the November 6 General Election, breaking the record set in 2014 for a WI midterm election.https://t.co/bkoxVMp1FT

— Wisconsin Elections (@WI_Elections) November 5, 2018

“Absentee voting has been very strong this fall, but still trails the overall record absentee ballots set for the 2016 presidential and general election,” Wisconsin’s chief elections official, Meagan Wolfe, said. “We do not know yet whether record absentee voting for a midterm will mean higher-than-normal turnout for this election.”

In a midterm election, overall turnout typically ranges from 50 to 55 percent of the voting age population, compared to 65 to 70 percent in a presidential election.

Comparable pre-election numbers for absentee voting in 2014 are not available because clerks were not required to track absentee ballots online until 2016. Overall, in 2014, there were 374,294 absentee ballots counted out of 2.42 million votes cast, which is approximately 15 percent of turnout.

Voters who have cast an absentee ballot can track it on the MyVote Wisconsin website.

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