Eric Hovde says early voting starts before his one debate with Tammy Baldwin. Is he right?

While many eyes were recently on the debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, there’s another debate coming up in Wisconsin.

That’s the one between Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin and Republican challenger Eric Hovde, scheduled for Oct. 18. It will be hosted by WMTV in Madison and aired throughout Wisconsin.

After the debate was announced, Hovde pushed Baldwin to participate in two more debates that he’s agreed to, in Milwaukee and Green Bay. And now, he’s arguing the debate happens after voting starts.

"Typically you have three to four debates in a U.S. Senate race. She's given me one debate, almost a month after early voting has started,” Hovde said in a NewsNation interview on Sept. 3, 2024.

Let’s tackle this claim in two parts.

First, has Baldwin agreed to fewer debates than normal for a U.S. Senate race in Wisconsin?

And second, does the debate take place almost a month after early voting has started in Wisconsin?

Baldwin has agreed to three debates in past campaigns for Senate, but four is a stretch

PolitiFact Wisconsin reached out to the Hovde campaign for backup, and spokesman Ben Voelkel cited examples of debates from past U.S. Senate cycles in Wisconsin.

The most recent Senate race was in 2022, between Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson and Democratic challenger Mandela Barnes.

Johnson agreed to up to three debates, and Barnes accepted two. Those took place on Oct. 7 and Oct. 13, so slightly earlier than the Baldwin-Hovde debate but in the same timeframe.

In 2018, when Baldwin faced Republican opponent Leah Vukmir, there were three debates: Oct. 8, Oct. 13 and Oct. 19.

In 2016, Johnson and Democratic challenger Russ Feingold took part in two debates: Oct. 14 and Oct. 18.

In 2012, during Baldwin’s first run for Senate against former Gov. Tommy Thompson, there were three debates: Sept. 28, Oct. 18 and Oct. 26. So, in that race, a much wider time range than other cycles.

It looks like between two and three debates is normal in recent Senate races in Wisconsin. Hovde is on the mark when he says three is typical, but four goes a little too far.

PolitiFact Wisconsin reached out to Baldwin’s campaign for a response, and they cited only the two debates in the 2022 Johnson-Barnes race.

They also noted there was only one debate between Democratic Gov. Tony Evers and Republican challenger Tim Michels in 2022. That debate took place on Oct. 14.

Campaign spokesman Andrew Mamo sent a statement similar to one earlier this year, noting Baldwin “travels the state constantly” to meet Wisconsinites and the debate “will air in every region of the state.”

So, it doesn’t look like more debates between Baldwin and Hovde will be added.

Early voting starts after debate, but voters could still return absentee ballots before it

Now, let’s take a look at the second part of Hovde’s claim: Does the Oct. 18 debate take place “almost a month” after early voting starts in Wisconsin?

Early voting is another name for in-person absentee voting, which can take place in Wisconsin from Oct. 22 through Nov. 3.

Early voting involves going to your clerk’s office or another designated location and casting an absentee ballot in-person, before the election.

It’s up to each city, village or town to decide how many dates, times and locations to offer early voting.

Early voting cannot start more than two weeks before the election, according to the Wisconsin Elections Commission. That date in 2024 — Oct. 22 — is after the Oct. 18 debate, and definitely not almost a month before the debate.

But the full picture is a little more complicated than that. There’s still a way for voters to cast their ballots — voting absentee by mail — before the Oct. 18 debate.

Hovde’s campaign cited the deadline to send out absentee ballots in federal elections. The state deadline is even earlier, Sept. 19, and clerks are told to mail absentee ballots as soon as they’re available.

Clerks must send absentee ballots to voters with active requests by that deadline, and voters will start receiving them soon after.

Certainly some voters will receive ballots by the Oct. 18 debate, though whether voters will get them in the mail a month before the debate is hard to predict.

Voters could choose to fill out their ballot and return it immediately. But “spoiling” ballots — essentially taking your ballot back and voting a different way — is no longer allowed in Wisconsin.

So if a voter submits their ballot then changes their mind after the Baldwin-Hovde debate, there’s no reversing that vote.

And again, the Oct. 18 debate doesn’t take place later than normal in Wisconsin — that falls in the same timeframe as past election cycles.

Our ruling

Hovde said “typically you have three to four debates in a U.S. Senate race. (But Baldwin has) given me one debate, almost a month after early voting has started.”

Baldwin agreed to three debates in her previous campaigns for Senate, though some recent statewide races have had two. Hovde is on par with three, but saying there’s typically four debates is a stretch.

The debate does not start before in-person absentee voting in Wisconsin, also known as early voting. But some voters could still receive, fill out and return absentee ballots before the debate, so that portion of his claim does have merit.

Our definition of Mostly True is “the statement is accurate but needs clarification or additional information."

That fits here.

Sources

Wisconsin Broadcasters Association, WBA Foundation announces date for U.S. Senate debate, June 24, 2024.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Eric Hovde pushes Tammy Baldwin to agree to more debates in Wisconsin U.S. Senate race, June 26, 2024.

NewsNation, Republican Senate candidate Eric Hovde inches ahead in Wisconsin, Sept. 3, 2024.

Email exchange, Ben Voelkel, campaign spokesman for Eric Hovde, Sept. 5, 2024.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson says he's willing to participate in three debates with Democratic Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, Sept. 16, 2022.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Mandela Barnes and Ron Johnson have their first televised debate Friday. Here is how to watch, Oct. 5, 2022.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Wisconsin U.S. Senate race: High drama as Tammy Baldwin, Leah Vukmir clash over numerous issues in first debate, Oct. 9, 2018.

PolitiFact, Senate debate primer: Ron Johnson vs Russ Feingold, Oct. 14, 2016.

PolitiFact, Tommy vs. Tammy: A US Senate debate primer, Sept. 27, 2012.

Email exchange, Andrew Mamo, campaign spokesman for Tammy Baldwin, Sept. 5, 2024.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Tony Evers, Tim Michels agree to a single debate ahead of the Wisconsin governor election. Here's how to watch, Sept. 21, 2022.

Wisconsin Elections Commission, In-Person Absentee Voting at your Municipal Clerk's Office (Early Voting).

Wisconsin Elections Commission, Deadlines for the Nov. 5, 2024 General Election.

Wisconsin Elections Commission, Calendar, Sept. 2024.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Drop boxes, overseas voters, deadlines: Answers to your questions about absentee voting, Sept. 9, 2024.

Wisconsin Elections Commission, Election Administration Manual for Wisconsin Municipal Clerks, Feb. 2024.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Does the Baldwin-Hovde debate take place after early voting starts?