Port, Saukville Voters Casting Plenty of Absentee Ballots in Recall Election

Perhaps eager to vote once and for all in the June 5 gubernatorial recall election, or simply too busy with summer and not wanting to forget to vote, Port Washington and Saukville residents have been casting absentee ballots at a higher rate than usual.

Port Washington Deputy Clerk Susan Westerbeke said the city has mailed about 470 absentee ballots in the recall election so far. Most of those have already been returned, she said, with the majority of the ballots being cast in person at — rather than being sent back via mail.

A total of 203 absentee voters cast ballots in the recall primary.

In Saukville, Village Official Mary Baumann said 148 absentee ballots were requested, and 42 of those have not yet been returned — a number that is more than the typical election.

According to the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, more than 110,000 Wisconsin residents have already requested absentee ballots or voted absentee in the clerk’s office for the June 5 recall election. As of midday Friday, at least 113,558 absentee ballots had been issued by Wisconsin’s local election officials who track them using the Statewide Voter Registration System (SVRS).

To give that number some context, a total of 68,000 absentee ballots were tracked in SVRS for the May 8 recall primary. Also, there were 230,744 absentee ballots cast in the November 2010 General Election for Governor. As many as 75 percent of all absentee ballots are typically cast in the clerk’s office, with the remainder being delivered by mail.

"The numbers of absentee voters continues to grow," said Kevin J. Kennedy, director and general counsel of the G.A.B. "There could be many reasons – voter enthusiasm and convenience, plus necessity for those who will be on vacation or away from home as the school year is coming to an end."

Voters have been able to vote absentee since May 21, and have until 5 p.m. June 1 to cast absentee ballots. Those who request an absentee ballot be mailed to them have until 5 p.m. May 31 to make that request in order to receive one for the election.

It's also important to note that if you do cast a ballot ahead of time, keep it to yourself. In an age of social media where some people share pictures online of everyday things they do, Kennedy issued a reminder that voters should not take pictures of their completed ballots, let alone post them Facebook or Twitter. Under Wisconsin’s election fraud law, it is a Class I felony to intentionally show your marked ballot to any person. "Don’t tweet your ballot," he said.

Visit the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board website for more information about absentee voting.