Milwaukee Joins Madison On Early Voting Start Date

Early, in-person absentee voting in Milwaukee will start Monday, Sept. 26. Wisconsin’s largest city will join Madison in allowing ballots to be cast on the earliest day permitted under new state rules.

Two years ago, Republican lawmakers and Gov. Scott Walker limited early voting to mid-October, leading to only 110 hours of in-person absentee balloting in Milwaukee. Recently, a federal court halted those limits statewide. Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett said this fall the city will offer 725 hours of early voting.

“The message is please make sure you get out and exercise your constitutional right to vote,” Barrett said Monday at press conference. “People have been trying to make it more difficult for you to vote. There’s a reason for that … they don’t want you to vote. I believe a democracy works best when more individuals get involved by voting.”

In-person absentee voting will start at Milwaukee’s Municipal Building on Sept. 26, and at two neighborhood sites Monday, Oct.10.

The city will spend about $240,000 on early voting, said Neil Albrecht, Milwaukee Election Commission executive director.

“It’s definitely a significant investment on the part of the city to really ensure that people have access to voting in this election,” Albrecht said. “After all, this election, for many people, voting is their only voice in democracy.”

Albrecht said Milwaukee’s early voting hours will include some weekends in October. He said as many as 60,000 Milwaukee residents may cast absentee ballots.