Photo by Element5 Digital on Unsplash.
In May, the Wisconsin Elections Commission delayed a vote on whether or not to send absentee ballot applications to 2.7 million registered voters across Wisconsin.
Yesterday, the commission decided to again delay a vote needed to do that.
The planned mailing includes an absentee ballot application form as well as an enclosed letter. The commission agrees on sending the ballots, but there has been less consensus on what is written on the letter.
“The commission generally approved of the mailer,” said Reid Magney, a spokesperson for the Wisconsin Elections Commission. “They had a few minor things that they wanted to see some changes on, but I expect they’ll be approving the mailer at their meeting on Wednesday.”
Magney says that the requested changes were minor details, such as some wording changes and a graphic representation of how to upload a photo ID to Wisconsin’s MyVote website.
The letter is drafted by the staff of the Wisconsin Elections Commission, and is voted on by the commission itself.
In two May meetings, the bipartisan Commission went back and forth over the wording of the letter. Two Democrats on the commission voted to entrust the wording of the letter to staff, while the three Republicans on the commission opposed that, saying they wanted to ensure the letter informed voters of every option available to them.
According to Magney, that information will be included in the letter.
“The mailer has three main points, that people really have three ways to vote in the upcoming election,” says Magney. “The first is at the polls, the second is by voting absentee in the clerk’s office before the election, and then the third is getting an absentee ballot.”
The commission is scheduled to meet next Wednesday, and Magney says he expects them to approve the final wording. He says the commission is still on schedule to have the mailings go out by September 1st.
