MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC) Administrator Meagan Wolfe answered media questions virtually Friday, just four days before Election Day.

What You Need To Know

  • There have been over 250,000 more in-person absentee ballots cast by Nov. 1, 2024, compared to the same date in 2020

  • According the to the WEC, as of Friday morning, more than 500,000 absentee ballots have been returned. That’s the vast majority of the more than 600,000 absentee ballots requested

  • The WEC is also working to squash any misinformation from spreading, especially as it relates to who is authorized to vote

  • Wolfe said she wants to assure voters that election leaders have been preparing for years for any possible situation on Nov. 5

 
Wolfe said the large increase in early in-person voting so far this election has been noteworthy. She shared that there have been over 250,000 more in-person absentee ballots cast by Nov. 1, 2024, compared to the same date in 2020.

The large turnout slowed Wisconsin’s statewide voter database printing function, causing delays during the first few days of in-person absentee voting. Wolfe said it was fixed quickly and will not affect Election Day.

“A lot of times we have to look to history,” she said. “What was the voting behavior like? Did people utilize by mail or in-person absentee? Did they vote at the polls on Election Day? And as we’ve seen over the last five years, that historical data really has not been useful to planning.”

According the to the WEC, as of Friday morning, more than 500,000 absentee ballots have been returned. That’s the vast majority of the more than 600,000 absentee ballots requested.

The WEC is also working to squash any misinformation from spreading, especially as it relates to who is authorized to vote.

“Let me be clear, under no circumstances are non-citizens allowed to vote in the state of Wisconsin ever,” Wolfe said. “In order to vote in Wisconsin, voters must certify on their voter registration form that they are a U.S. Citizen.”

She went on to say that any voter who a poll worker suspects may not be eligible to vote for any reason will have to go through the state’s challenge process. Election observers can challenge voter eligibility, too, but must have hard evidence to prove their challenge.

Wolfe also wanted to specify that in Wisconsin, all ballots have a unique barcode to ensure someone cannot vote twice.

Wolfe said election officials across the state of Wisconsin, and across the nation, are in close communication with each other and law enforcement throughout Election Day. They are monitoring every ballot box and polling location to make sure the democratic process is safe and secure.

“Election officials in every part of the state are also getting things like alerts from different federal partners, or from our office. If there is some type of thing or information from another state, they’re going to receive that information,” Wolfe said.

Wolfe said she wants to assure voters that election leaders have been preparing for years for any possible situation on Nov. 5. She said she wants people to know that there are checks in place to make sure every aspect of voting, ballot transport and ballot counting are secure and accurate from start to finish.

Wolfe said they have practiced contingency plans as well, in case any challenges arise.

“I think our local election officials have been truly preparing for those possibilities for the last four years, and they take it very seriously that they want to ensure that their voters can feel safe and secure when they go to vote using whatever method they choose," Wolfe said. 

Wolfe said it’s still too soon to tell how long it will take to announce results once the polls close. Election officials are required to work around the clock until all votes are counted. That process is open to the public.

In Wisconsin, absentee ballots can start being counted at 7 a.m. on Election Day, and polls close at 8 p.m.

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