MADISON, Wis. — The spring election is a little more than one week away, but some Wisconsin voters got a head start on casting their ballots Saturday.

What You Need To Know

  • In-person absentee voting began in Wisconsin this week

  • The City Clerk's office invited the public to watch voting equipment be tested Saturday 

  • They say they do this to help educate voters on the process

  • Voter fraud is rare in Wisconsin

Abby and David Warfel were two of those voters in the Madison area. They didn’t initially plan on voting when they visited the Hawthorne Library Saturday morning, but they said they’re glad they did.

“Honestly, we came to the library, and were reminded there was voting available and thought, ‘yes, let’s take advantage of that’,” Abby Warfel said.

The Warfels said they try to get out and vote in every election. David Warfel said he sees it as his duty to his family and those he loves.

“There are a lot of decisions that are being made in the political sphere that are affecting all kinds of lives, including ours and people we know,” he said. “I think we have a duty to make our voice heard.”

A few doors down from the Hawthorne Library, city leaders did their part to make sure voters could do that duty. Deputy City Clerk Jim Verbick and other workers with the clerk’s office tested each of the ballot machines that will be used on April 2.

“They’re all stamp tests, we know they’re test ballots, and then we feed them into the machine,” Verbick said. “We verify that what we filled out on the ballots, and what we expect to be counted is the way that the machine is actually going to count.”

The City Clerk’s office invites the public to view the testing process for each election. Verbick said he wants voters to be able to learn how everything works and get their questions answered.

“It’s important that we make sure that the public knows that the votes that are being counted are being counted accurately,” he said. “Then they can feel safe in knowing that that’s the case, whether or not people are skeptical, that it’s an open process.”

Skepticism in the process has been pervasive, as Americans’ confidence in election administration rises and falls each year. It’s a hard problem to solve, but Verbick said he believes education and transparency are key.

“The less people understand about the process, the more there’s open for questions,” he said. “So, if they have any questions, we always say, ‘get more involved.’”

The Warfels said they believe elections are fair and aren’t concerned about voter fraud.

Statistically, voter fraud is rare in Wisconsin. According to a 2023 Wisconsin Watch investigation, a little less than 200 people have been charged with election-related crimes since 2012. That’s about one out of every 163,000 ballots cast.

The Warfels said they hope elections will continue to be the place where they can help make change.

“This is one of the awesome parts of being in this country,” David Warfel said. “We can vote, we can make a difference.”

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