Yes. In 1915, a state law was passed in Wisconsin stipulating that absentee ballots “must be opened only at the polls on election day while said polls are open.” While there have been minor language changes and renumberings throughout the years, the original law remains in place.
Category: Fact briefs
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Posted inFact briefs
Does Wisconsin have the oldest abortion ban in the nation?
Yes. Wisconsin’s 1849 ban on abortion is the oldest in the nation that could go into effect post-Roe, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive health advocacy and research organization.
Posted inFact briefs
Has there already been more early voting in Wisconsin in 2022 than the last midterm election in 2018?
Yes. Wisconsin’s early voting turnout for the 2022 midterm elections surpassed that the last midterm election in 2018. As of Nov. 8, 2022, a total of 741,795 people had voted early via mail or in person. That compares to 547,954 who voted early at the same point in 2018 — a 35% increase.
Posted inFact briefs
Can Wisconsin voters in central count communities return absentee ballots to polling places?
No. Voters living in the 38 central count communities — including Milwaukee, Green Bay, Beloit and Janesville—cannot return absentee ballots to their polling places on Election Day, according to the Wisconsin Elections Commission.
Posted inFact briefs
Can you track if your absentee ballot was counted in Wisconsin?
Yes. If voters have an active absentee ballot in Wisconsin, they can check the status of their ballot at the state’s website MyVote Wisconsin.
Posted inFact briefs
Is Joan Beglinger still running for Wisconsin governor?
No. Joan Ellis Beglinger, an Independent candidate for Wisconsin governor, ended her campaign Sept. 4, 2022 — too late to remove her name from the Nov. 8 ballot. Beglinger endorsed Republican candidate for governor Tim Michels and Republican U.S. Senate candidate Ron Johnson.
Posted inFact briefs
Has Wisconsin been a swing state for more than a half-century?
Yes. Wisconsin has been a swing state — where voters waver between electing Republicans and Democrats — since at least the mid-20th century, according to experts.
Posted inFact briefs
Are employers required to offer time off to vote on Election Day in Wisconsin?
Yes. Wis. Stat. § 6.76 requires all employers in Wisconsin to give employees up to three hours to vote on Election Day. According to the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, employees must tell their employer before Election Day that they will be absent to vote. The employer can decide what time of day the employee can be excused to vote.
Posted inFact briefs
Did Tim Michels say that he will end democracy in Wisconsin?
No. Tim Michels, the Republican candidate for governor of Wisconsin, said at a campaign stop in Jefferson County on Oct. 31, 2022 that, “Republicans will never lose another election after I’m elected governor.” Michels’ spokesperson Brian Fraley said Michels merely meant Republicans would be rewarded for doing a good job.
Posted inFact briefs
Did Mandela Barnes say he ‘could not care less’ about a Second Amendment right?
Yes. Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, the Democratic candidate for U.S. senator, tweeted in July 2013 that he “could not care less about a 2nd Amendment ‘right.’ Bear arms all you wish, but you should pay for your mishandling.” Other tweets written minutes later reveal that he was reacting to the acquittal that day of George Zimmerman in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin.
Posted inFact briefs
Does Wisconsin law say that curbside voting must be an option for voters with disabilities?
Yes. Wis. Stat. § 6.82(1) requires that curbside voting be available to people who are unable to enter the polling place due to disability. Two poll workers bring a ballot to a voter with a disability and conduct voting near the polling place entrance or at the voter’s vehicle.
Posted inFact briefs
Can a third party know the status of a Wisconsin voter’s absentee ballot?
Yes. Through the Wisconsin Elections Commission website Badger Voters, any political party or individual can pay for and access data about the status of absentee ballots, including whether a ballot was counted or disqualified. This information can be used to send out texts or calls to voters about the status of their ballot, according to a statement from the WEC sent to Wisconsin Watch.