In September 2024, representatives of the Republican National Committee questioned whether more than 1,000 absentee ballots were sent to ineligible voters. These claims are false. These concerns were addressed in the attached letter to the RNC. That response is summarized below:
In Wisconsin, only active, registered voters may request a ballot and have their vote counted. Individuals with an inactive voter record are not allowed to request or cast a ballot. Officials with the statutory authority to modify the statewide registration list may change a voter’s registration status from eligible (active) to ineligible (inactive). Eligible records are registered to vote, appear on pollbooks, and can cast a ballot in statewide elections. Ineligible records are not registered to vote, do not appear on pollbooks, and cannot cast a ballot in Wisconsin elections.
Importantly, the RNC examined records where a voter’s status changed to inactive after the ballot was requested. In these cases, the ballot is nearly always rendered void and will show a ballot status of “inactive.” An inactive ballot is void and cannot be counted if returned.
After requesting a ballot, a voter’s status may change to inactive for any number of common reasons. For example, voter number 701122177 was a longtime voter with an absentee request on file. The municipality mailed him a ballot on 9/10/2024. Eight days later, the municipality learned the voter had passed. The municipality therefore changed the voter status to Inactive (deceased) and changed the ballot status to Inactive (void). The RNC's report clearly reflected this information. Even if this ballot were returned to the clerk, it would be set aside and not be counted.
Likewise, the status of Inactive (Merged) indicates that the voter re-registered at a new address. If the new address is in a different jurisdiction, they will need a new ballot, and their old ballot is marked inactive (void). If the new address is in the same jurisdiction, they may not require a new ballot.
The RNC's data request of 9/26/2024 (#13959) asked for records of all absentee ballots mailed to voters, regardless of whether the ballot was subsequently rendered void. That is why the RNC's report contained inactive voters.