New data released by the Wisconsin Elections Commission reveals that over 97,000 individuals participated in early in-person voting on the first day of early voting in the state. This figure surpasses the early voting numbers from 2020, where more than 75,000 people voted on the initial day of in-person early voting.
Despite the robust turnout, the commencement of in-person early voting was marred by a minor computer systems glitch that caused delays in the process. The computer system utilized by some clerks to print labels for in-person absentee certificate envelopes experienced slowdowns on Tuesday and Wednesday due to higher-than-expected turnout. Although efforts were made to address the issue by increasing system capacity, some clerks continue to face delays, impacting both election-related and non-election state systems.
It is important to note that printing a label is not mandatory for in-person absentee voting, and clerks have the option to hand-write the necessary information on certificate envelopes if needed. The Wisconsin Elections Commission emphasized that no voters should be turned away due to label printing challenges.
Wisconsin's non-partisan voter registration system means that early vote data does not include party breakdowns. Notably, several Milwaukee suburbs, including the city of Brookfield in Waukesha County, witnessed notably high rates of early in-person voting on the first day. Brookfield, a municipality where former President Donald Trump narrowly won in 2020, ranked third in the state for the number of early in-person votes cast, despite being the 16th largest municipality by population. A recent event held by Democratic nominee Kamala Harris and Republican former House member Liz Cheney in Brookfield may have contributed to the heightened voter turnout.
While early in-person voting has seen a strong start, mail-in vote totals are trailing behind 2020 levels when many opted for absentee voting due to the pandemic. As of the latest data, a total of 475,460 Wisconsin voters have returned their ballots, combining both early in-person absentee numbers and mailed absentee ballots. By comparison, at the same point in the 2020 election cycle, 1,021,397 voters had returned absentee ballots.
