Municipal clerks in northeast Wisconsin are preparing for a busy Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 3, with a large volume of absentee ballots still to process alongside in-person voting.
In Appleton, 78% of the 5,300 absentee ballots mailed out had been returned, and about 3,400 more people had voted in person absentee, according to the city clerk's office. That leaves poll workers to process nearly 8,000 absentee ballots on Election Day across the city's 60 wards.
Appleton City Clerk Amy Molitor said she has at least 200 poll workers for this election and that crews will process absentee ballots throughout the day so results are not delayed at night. She said the volume is similar to the 2022 gubernatorial race.
Statewide, absentee voting is up nearly 7% compared with this point four years ago, according to the Wisconsin Elections Commission.
Clerks are urging anyone still holding an absentee ballot not to mail it, noting that hundreds of ballots arrived too late by mail in April to be counted. Green Bay City Clerk Stacy Menke suggested using the drop box outside City Hall or bringing the ballot to the clerk's office. All ballots must reach the voter's clerk by 8 p.m. on Nov. 3, and in-person absentee voting ended Friday.
