Absentee ballots returned by mail in Racine County are running 22 percent behind the same point before the 2022 midterm, as in-person early voting opens on Tuesday, Oct. 20.
As of Oct. 16, county clerks had received 5,025 absentee ballots, compared with 6,472 at the same point four years ago, according to Wisconsin Elections Commission data analyzed by Racine County Eye. Requests are down 19 percent, and statewide mail returns are down 29 percent.
Both major parties are steering voters away from mailing ballots back, though for different reasons. In 2022, 12,331 Racine County voters cast absentee ballots early and in person, about half of all absentee voters in the county that year.
Within the county, mail returns are down 26 percent in the City of Racine and 28 percent in Mount Pleasant compared with the same point in 2022, and down 14 percent in Caledonia. A few smaller communities, including Raymond and Dover, are slightly ahead of 2022.
Under Wisconsin law, a mailed ballot must be in the municipal clerk's hands by 8 p.m. on Election Day to count, and a postmark does not save a ballot that arrives late. The Postal Service recommends mailing a ballot back at least seven days before Election Day, which this year is Oct. 27.
In the City of Racine, in-person voting at City Hall runs Oct. 20-30 on business days, with additional sites and weekend hours around the city, for a total of 15 early voting sites in Racine. Hours vary widely in smaller communities, where some clerks offer in-person absentee voting on limited days or by appointment.
