Wisconsin elections officials report 40% increase in early voting

By The Associated Press

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin elections officials are reporting a nearly 40% increase in early in-person absentee voting over 2020.

Early in-person absentee voting began Tuesday in the battleground state. The Wisconsin Elections Commission announced that as of Friday morning 292,702 people had voted early in-person compared with 209,665 as of the morning of Friday, Oct. 23, 2020.

The total number of absentee ballots requested stood at 921,832, with 715,395 returned by mail or in-person early voters.

Voters cast about 640,100 total absentee ballots in 2008; 665,340 absentee ballots in 2012; 824,736 absentee ballots in 2016; and about 1.9 million absentee ballots in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Early in-person absentee voting continues through Sunday, Nov. 3. All absentee ballots must be received by local clerks by 8 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 5, to count.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has been encouraging conservatives to vote early after a surge of early Democratic voting in 2020.