MILWAUKEE — A discrepancy in absentee ballot instructions for English and Spanish-speaking voters in Milwaukee was an oversight that will be corrected in future elections, according to the Milwaukee Election Commission.
English instructions tell voters to "allow at least one week for mail" when sending back their ballots, while Spanish instructions suggest waiting five days, "if sent through the mail". Additionally, the Spanish instructions tell voters to use a black pen to mark the ballot, which was not included in the English instructions.
"It was an oversight and will be corrected for all future elections," Gutiérrez said.
Milwaukee Election Commission Executive Director Paulina Gutiérrez said the best way to ensure mailed ballots arrive on time is to use one of the 14 secure ballot drop boxes around the city or drop them off at an early voting location.
"It was an oversight and will be corrected for all future elections," Gutiérrez said.
Watch: Milwaukee to correct absentee ballot instruction discrepancy as early voting continues
"To date, we have not received phone calls from Spanish-speaking voters and return rate trends are on par with previous Spring elections," Gutiérrez said.
Anyone concerned about the status of their absentee ballot can track it on MyVote.
"To mark a ballot, we recommend that voters use black ink, but it is not required," Gutiérrez said.
The discrepancy comes as early voting has been slow ahead of Tuesday's election for the next Wisconsin State Supreme Court justice. Election Day is April 7.
Currently, 281,000 people have voted early in Wisconsin, either in person or by mail. That is less than half of the 694,000 early votes cast during the 2025 State Supreme Court race, which featured record campaign spending and voter turnout for a 10-year term on the court.
In-person early voting ends Friday or this weekend, depending on municipal hours.
Voters will decide between Chris Taylor, who is backed by Democrats, and Maria Lazar, who is backed by Republicans. Both candidates have said they would be independent and impartial. They are running to replace outgoing conservative Justice Rebecca Bradley.
According to a recent Marquette Law School poll, more than half of voters are still undecided. The court currently has a four-to-three liberal majority, meaning the 2026 election cannot flip the current balance.
Liberal-backed candidates have won the last three State Supreme Court races by double digits. The last conservative candidate to win was Justice Brian Hagedorn in 2019 by less than one percent.
This story was reported on-air by Charles Benson and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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