Wisconsin voters like the idea of election clerks starting one day earlier to get absentee ballots ready to be counted in a new poll.
Will Wisconsin lawmakers agree? Current station law prevents opening and counting ballots until election Day.
The Democracy Defense Project (DDP) polled state voters after the April election and shared the results exclusively with TMJ4.
Here's what they found. 76% favor "election officials to begin the processing, verifying, and tabulating," but not count until Election Day.
Perhaps more surprising is how voters across the state and parties favor the idea: 68% of Independents, 70% of Republicans, and 87% of Democrats expressed support for processing earlier. DDP is a bipartisan organization working with Republicans and Democrats to strengthen voter confidence in the election process.
Chief Political Reporter Charles Benson interviewed local clerks, former elected leaders and DDP board members and two members of the Wisconsin Elections Commission about what Wisconsin voters are saying about the current election process and the need for changes with the growing number of absentee voters
The biggest potential change would allow clerks to begin processing absentee ballots on the Monday before Election Day.
Two election clerks who represent areas from opposite sides of the political spectrum shared similar views on processing early votes.
Paulina Gutierrez is the executive director of Milwaukee Elections and Ashley Reichert is the Washington County Clerk. Both were asked about election integrity and a trend in the poll showing voters were more confident in the counting and casting of votes in the 2024 and 2025 elections. Here's part of that interview:
TMJ4 also interviewed Commissioner Ann Jacobs, the Democratic Chair and Republican Commissioner Don Millis about what's working with state elections and what's possible if lawmakers allow clerks and earlier start to process early absentee ballots. Here's part of that interview:
Finally, we wanted to hear from elected leaders on both sides of the political aisle who have actually been on a ballot and have waited for those late-night election results.
Benson interviewed former Lieutenant Governor and former US Senate candidate Mandela Barnes and former Wisconsin Attorney General JB Van Hollen. The Democrat and Republican are on the board with the Democracy Defense Project. Here's part of that interview:
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