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UpdateWisconsinFriday, October 30, 2026

In-person absentee voting jumped 54% in Wisconsin as mail slowed

More voters are casting absentee ballots in person rather than by mail as delivery times have grown longer.

Reporting by
Votebeat
“Mail delays are leading to more early voting. That shift is especially clear in rural Wisconsin.”, Friday, October 30, 2026
Read the full story
What happened

In-person absentee voting in Wisconsin is up 54% compared with the same point in 2022, with more than 344,000 ballots cast that way. Every Wisconsin county has seen an increase, and in 16 counties the number has at least doubled. In-person voting now accounts for more than half of all returned absentee ballots statewide, up from about 38% in 2022.1

ProPublica found that U.S. Postal Service cost-cutting measures have added a day or longer to delivery times in rural counties, including by reducing mail pickups from twice to once daily.1

54%
increase in in-person absentee voting compared with 20221
more than 344,000
ballots cast in person by absentee voters1
more than half
share of all returned absentee ballots cast in person1
What it means in Wisconsin

What Wisconsin voters need to know

Absentee ballots must be received by 8 p.m. on Election Day.2 In-person absentee voting can start no earlier than Tuesday October 20 and end no later than Sunday November 1, 2026, with hours set by each municipality.2

Key dates in Wisconsin

Election Day in 1 day
  1. Tue, Oct 20 · passed
    Early voting begins
  2. Thu, Oct 29 · passed
    Last day for mail ballot applications
  3. Sun, Nov 1 · passed
    Early voting ends
  4. Tue, Nov 3 · 1 day
    Election Day; Registration deadline; Mail ballots must arrive
  5. Tue, Nov 17 · 15 days
    County/Local certification
  6. Tue, Dec 1 · 29 days
    State certification

Every date in Wisconsin, and who certifies the election

More on this story
Wisconsin · Oct 29
Wisconsin absentee ballot returns reached 513,602 by late October
Reporting by AOL.com
Wisconsin · Oct 21
Wisconsin judge ruled against backup plan for late mail ballots
Reporting by Wisconsin Watch
The answers behind this
Mail and early votingVoting in Wisconsin, 2026How do I vote by mail or early in Wisconsin in 2026?When does my mail ballot have to arrive?

Explore this issue

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Sources

  1. Votebeat, https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMijAFBVV95cUxOVGVKT0o5cVM3MjJWTEdzOEN6SHNjaGZNRm9MeUM5MF9xcjd0NFRtWHZSZW5QTElpa3FoYXZDMExnbTFKckxmNWl1bmFyWGVzT2FIWTZQSUp3clpfdi03Tk8tZFVZLWktVEdNZzhmdGFWZlNUdDI1S3N2TFVHaW41a1FJdUN5YjdBVndJTg?oc=5 · Friday, October 30, 2026
  2. Vote.org, Wisconsin Election Center, https://www.vote.org/state/wisconsin/

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