On March 7, 2025, the Wisconsin Elections Commission (“the Commission”) voted unanimously to direct staff to prepare a statewide Clerk Communication detailing best practices for handling, processing, and counting absentee ballots ahead of the April 1, 2025, Spring Election. This motion was passed as a result of the Commission’s investigation into the City of Madison relating to 193 absentee ballots that were not counted in the November 2024 General Election.
Clerks, election inspectors, boards of canvassers, and the Commission all bear the responsibility to ensure that every ballot that is lawfully received from every Wisconsin voter is properly counted and included in the final vote tally for every election.
The purpose of the attached clerk communication is twofold: 1) to provide a comprehensive checklist for election officials and boards of canvassers to use ahead of April 1 to ensure that their current policies and procedures align with best practices; and 2) to provide a resource for election officials to use on Election Day before polls close, or after polls close during the canvass process, to ensure that every ballot that was lawfully returned is counted.
The attached memorandum is intended as reminders to clerks about existing post-election and absentee procedures. All of the guidance in the attached document is currently reflected in WEC manuals.