Drop boxes, overseas voters, deadlines: Answers to your questions about absentee voting

About a third of Milwaukee voters who participated in the Aug. 13 primary election voted absentee: more than 24,500 absentee ballots were returned by voters in Milwaukee, out of nearly 76,000 ballots cast, according to unofficial results.

Voting absentee has remained popular after spiking in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic. But some rules have changed around absentee ballots, including whether you can place them in a drop box or return them on behalf of a spouse or neighbor.

The Journal Sentinel collected questions about absentee voting from a handful of readers, and we added a few of our own based on topics we often see discussed online. Feel free to submit more questions, if you have them, using the form at the bottom of this story.

We asked Paulina Gutiérrez, the new executive director of the Milwaukee Election Commission, to answer those questions. These answers also apply to communities across the state, not just Milwaukee — the deadlines and applications for absentee ballots are same throughout Wisconsin, for example.

I'm leaving on a trip in October and want to vote absentee. What's the procedure for that?

You could make a request for an absentee ballot right now, if you wanted to, Gutiérrez said. Making a request online at myvote.wi.gov is probably the easiest way to do that, but you can also fill out a written application. More information about that process is available here.

If you have an absentee ballot request on file, clerks are required to send out absentee ballots by Sept. 19, Gutiérrez noted. It shouldn't take more than a couple of days for the voter to get the ballot in the mail. After that, the voter can return the absentee ballot as soon as they've filled it out.

So, a voter should have enough time to receive an absentee ballot, fill it out and return it before the start of an October trip. You can also track the status of your absentee ballot at this link.

I live abroad and have no active address in Milwaukee County. Can I still vote absentee?

In this case, the voter should "try to think about whatever the closest address is, and then we would do a little bit of research and get him located nearby," Gutiérrez said. That would likely be the most recent address, even if it's been a while since the voter lived there.

The Wisconsin Elections Commission has more information about overseas voters here, like the difference between temporary and permanent overseas voters.

Can you use a Milwaukee absentee drop box if you're from the Milwaukee area, but not the City of Milwaukee?

No. Only voters who live and vote in Milwaukee can use Milwaukee's absentee ballot drop boxes. The city can't accept ballots from other communities.

"It's really important for voters to know and be mindful that they're sending it to their own jurisdiction," Gutiérrez said.

Drop boxes are provided by municipalities rather than county clerks, meaning you should only use ones set up by your city, town or village.

Gutiérrez said a few ballots from other cities showed up in Milwaukee's drop boxes, and a few ballots from Milwaukee voters ended up in Wauwatosa's drop box.

"As clerks, we obviously take voting seriously. We do what we can to try to get the ballot to the right jurisdiction," she said. "The problem is that, as we get closer to the election, it gets harder and harder to make sure they get there before 8 p.m. on Election Day."

More: 13 Milwaukee drop box locations will open Monday for August primary

More: Brookfield residents speak in favor of ballot drop boxes, but Common Council says no

Most voters can only return their own absentee ballot. Can you explain any exceptions to that rule?

You can only return your own absentee ballot, unless you're assisting someone with an illness or a disability. Clerks are not doctors, Gutiérrez noted, so if a voter determines they can't drop off their own ballot, they have a right to have someone else do it.

That rule is the same regardless of whether the absentee ballot is being returned to a drop box, clerk's office, polling place or central count location.

When people are looking at results on election night, what should they know about how absentee ballots are reported?

"One thing that everybody should know is that elections are administered around the state in the same manner," Gutiérrez said. "(Milwaukee) does the same thing that the cities up north do. It's just that we have a lot more (ballots) to count."

Under state law, clerks can't begin processing absentee ballots until Election Day. The Republican-controlled state Senate didn't take up a bipartisan bill this year that would have allowed clerks to begin processing them a day earlier.

In Milwaukee, absentee ballots are counted at one location and reported all at once, the same as other central count communities, like Janesville, Kenosha and Green Bay. If Milwaukee's large number of absentee ballots are reported late in the night, "ballot dump" conspiracies can follow.

'It has nothing to do with doing things differently," Gutiérrez said. "There's just a lot to count in the City of Milwaukee."

More: What the time Milwaukee reported absentee ballots Tuesday means for November's election

Is there anything else you think voters should know about absentee ballots?

Gutiérrez said if people have concerns or questions about absentee voting, they can email or call the commission. You can email [email protected] or call 414-286-VOTE (8683).

"We're happy to answer it and be your expert in all details (of) elections," she said.

Gutiérrez suggested signing up to become a poll worker if you have concerns about how elections are run. If you don't work at a polling location, you can also work at central count, where you can partner up and meet new people.

Information about becoming a poll worker is available here. The commission is especially looking for bilingual poll workers.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Absentee voting in 2024 Wisconsin elections: Questions and answers