Please share widely – Yesterday, a U.S. District Judge’s ruling gave Wisconsin voters more time to request and submit an absentee ballot and gave clerks will more time to count the ballots. Additionally, the U.S. District Judge’s ruling eases the requirement for a witness signature on absentee ballots. These changes have been made to allow more people the opportunity to vote from the safety of their home and provides municipal workers more time to process the large volume of absentee ballots.

Specifically, the order extends the deadline to request an absentee ballot to today (4/3/20) at 5 p.m., extends the deadline for receipt of absentee ballots to 4 p.m. on April 13, 2020, and allows voters who are unable to safely obtain a witness signature on their absentee ballot to alternatively provide a written affirmation or statement indicating that they were “unable to safety obtain a witness certification despite reasonable efforts to do so.”

The above ruling was immediately appealed, but until further notice the above changes have been made. For additional details on the absentee voting process see:

Wisconsin Elections Commission: https://elections.wi.gov/
MyVote Wisconsin: https://myvote.wi.gov/en-US/VoteAbsentee
Disability Vote Coalition: https://disabilityvote.org/

Janet Zander

Advocacy & Public Policy Coordinator

p. 715-677-6723 | m. 608-228-7253

Elder Law & Advocacy Center

fb. Facebook.com/WAAN.ACTION | tw. @ZanderWAAN

Greater Wisconsin Agency on Aging Resources, Inc.