From vetting each voter’s eligibility to using a statewide database that helps ensure there’s only one ballot per voter, Wisconsin constantly works to protect the integrity of your elections. Highly-trained election officials use a sophisticated mix of security measures and practical safeguards to make sure every legal vote is counted correctly — whether you cast your vote at the polls or by absentee ballot.
In Wisconsin:
Every vote has a paper trail
Wisconsin requires a paper record of every vote that’s cast in our state, no matter what kind of ballot or voting equipment is used.
State and federal election results are triple-checked.
State and federal election results aren’t official until they have been checked at the municipal level, double-checked by the county, and certified by the state. As part of this review, election officials ensure that there are not more ballots than voters.
Local election officials use only certified voting equipment.
Ballots are counted on local voting machines that have been certified at the state and federal level, ensuring the equipment is accurate and in good working order. In hand-count jurisdictions, the entire process of opening and counting ballots is conducted by a team of people in a setting that must be open to public observation.
The voting equipment used in each election is audited.
Local officials are required to conduct a public test of their electronic voting equipment before each election to confirm its accuracy. Programming is verified by feeding a set of pre-marked ballots into each machine and reviewing the results tape that is generated. After November elections, the voting equipment in 10% of the state’s reporting units is randomly selected to undergo an additional test to ensure it accurately counted votes.
Officials take absentee ballot drop box security seriously.
While not all municipalities use drop boxes, those that do work to ensure the boxes are secure, such as fastening the box to the ground and equipping it with unique locks or seals to secure ballots.
Poll workers represent the two major political parties where available.
Poll workers across the state are first selected from lists provided to local officials from the two major political parties. When the names on the political party lists have been exhausted, unaffiliated poll workers are selected.
Only eligible U.S. citizens who are registered are allowed to vote.
Documented cases of non-citizens voting in Wisconsin are extremely rare. Election officials may challenge a person’s ability to vote if they have reliable information that the person is not a citizen. An individual’s race, ethnicity, heritage, or English language proficiency cannot constitute cause to bring a challenge to an elector’s voting qualifications.
Election officials maintain accurate, up-to-date voter lists.
A statewide database helps local clerks ensure voter addresses are correct; remove voters who move out of Wisconsin, are convicted of felonies, die, or otherwise become ineligible; and add newly registered eligible voters. The system works to ensure that only eligible voters can vote.
Absentee ballot and voter information gets verified and tracked.
Before they can request an absentee ballot, eligible voters must first register to vote. Their information and eligibility is double-checked before they receive a ballot.
Election officials check photo ID.
Most voters must show “proof of identification” to vote in person or via absentee ballot. For a full list of acceptable forms of ID, visit elections.wi.gov/photoID.
Wisconsin prioritizes transparency in elections.
Anyone can show up to an in-person absentee location or polling place and observe the voting process, counting of votes, testing of voting equipment, and more.
Allegations of election fraud are investigated.
Voter fraud is exceptionally rare and can land perpetrators in jail or leave them with significant fines. Voter participation is carefully documented and subject to review by the public, third parties, and law enforcement entities.