We have received a number of questions regarding the timeline for conducting in-person absentee and Special Voting Deputy voting for the November General Election. This communication will provide reminders and links to resources for both issues that clerks can use to prepare for the election.
In-Person Absentee Voting: Due to the recent court decision in the One Wisconsin Institute case, in-person absentee voting can only take place in the two weeks prior to Election Day and no in-person absentee hours can be offered on the Monday prior to Election Day.
For the November 3, 2020 General Election, in-person absentee voting can begin no earlier than October 20, 2020 and the final day in-person absentee voting hours can be offered is Sunday November 1, 2020.
There is no restriction on the number of hours you may offer, and in-person absentee voting can be offered at multiple locations (although those locations were required to be set by June 12, 2020 for the November General Election). As always, your Type E Notice should accurately reflect the in-person absentee voting hours for your municipality even if you are offering hours by appointment only. More information about the court decision can be found here: https://elections.wi.gov/node/6978.
Election Calendar: The 2020 election calendar has been updated after the court decision was issued and reposted here: https://elections.wi.gov/publications/2020-election-events-calendar. Please use this updated version of the calendar as you administer this election.
Special Voting Deputy Voting: On June 24, 2020 the members of the Wisconsin Elections Commission voted to suspend the Special Voting Deputy (SVD) program for the August and November elections. All voters with active absentee ballot requests on file who reside in the facilities normally served by SVDs, should be mailed absentee ballots instead. The Commission recently directed staff to conduct research concerning the reinstatement of this program, but declined to reverse its earlier decision. More information about the original decision can be found here: https://elections.wi.gov/node/6939.
Please contact us with any questions you may have at (608)261-2028 or @email.