West Bend, WI – The Wisconsin legislature passed legislation that was signed into law last week, 2023 Wisconsin Act 54, that addresses the way clerks send out and process absentee ballots prior to a Presidential Preference election. The bill had bi-partisan support.
Washington County Clerk Ashley Reichert and Legislative Clerk Mike Foti had an integral role in getting the bill ushered through the process. They worked with State Senators Duey Stroebel and Dan Knodl, and State Representative Ty Bodden, along with several other County Clerks, giving testimony in support of the legislation at hearings at the State Capitol. Other Washington County state legislators who signed on as co-sponsors were Representative Rob Brooks and Representative Rick Gundrum.
The law previously required all voters with an absentee ballot request on file to be sent an absentee ballot via US mail 47 days before the Spring Election and Presidential Preference Vote. In 2024, this deadline falls on February 15 – five days before the Spring Election Primary – resulting in absentee voters receiving two ballots before the Spring Election.
The bill corrects this issue by applying the 47-day transit time requirement only to military and overseas voters for the Spring Election and Presidential Preference Primary, which would result in a 21-day transit time requirement for all other voters with an absentee ballot request on file.
“This will reduce costs for our municipalities and help with the logistical challenges faced by municipal clerks of mailing two ballots for the same election to tens of thousands of voters which would increase the potential for voter confusion and inadvertent errors by poll workers,” said County Clerk Ashley Reichert. “This legislation aids in reducing voter confusion by eliminating the unnecessary sending of an “A” and “B” ballot to those absentee requestors that are not military or overseas prior to the Presidential Preference Primary and Spring Election.”