Another major problem was voters filling out their ballot incorrectly. According to an investigation by Wisconsin Watch and APM Reports, more than 13,000 votes were rejected in Wisconsin's April primaries because of an often-missed requirement for voters to have a witness sign the ballot envelope with both a name and address.

Come November, Wisconsin voters can help check any mistakes if they follow up with their local clerk's office once their ballot is delivered. Ballots will be given \"intelligent barcodes\" that let clerks and voters track them through the mail.

Voters can also drop their ballots off at polling places or vote early, in-person at a clerk's office, which would allow the clerk to catch any mistakes in the moment and have them fixed.

“We want citizens to choose the option for voting that works best for them. For voters who choose to vote absentee by mail, we want to be sure they have the information they need to navigate that process,” Wolfe, the elections administrator, said in a statement. “Of course, every voter who is eligible to vote in the state can also vote early or in person on election day.”

Some experts, including Wagner, suggest the former -- in-person early voting -- as the best route for avoiding ballot errors or postal service delays, while also minimizing potential time spent inside a polling location.

\"In-person, early absentee is, I would say, the safest for health and democracy,\" Wagner said.

But it's also \"extraordinarily burdensome for voters,\" he warned.

The early voting period can be different depending on where Wisconsin voters live. That period could begin as early as Oct. 20 and end as late as Nov. 1, but voters have to check with their individual clerk's offices because it varies.

\"PHOTO:
Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images
PHOTO: A woman casts her ballot in a Democratic presidential primary election at the Hamilton High School in Milwaukee, April 7, 2020.
>

Early voting also requires transportation, which can be a barrier for low-income voters. Because of that, Wagner said, access to early voting in the state tends to be divided along racial and socioeconomic lines.

\"In research we've done, we found that it's white, well-educated voters who are more likely to do this kind of thing, whereas Black and Hispanic voters in Wisconsin tend to face more barriers to being able to vote,\" Wagner said.

The Wisconsin Elections Commission, for its part, has begun a voter information campaign that aims to explain each voting option to all registered voters, including a mailer that will go out to 2.6 million Wisconsinites in September.

\"That mailer is basically saying for November, you've got three options to vote. First is going to the polling place on Election Day. The second is going to your clerk's office or satellite location in the two weeks before the election to cast an in-person absentee ballot. And the third option is to request an absentee ballot from your clerk by mail,\" Magney said.

While Wisconsin voters can ask for an absentee ballot up until the Thursday before the election, the U.S. Postal Service has warned that wouldn't be enough time, advising that it takes at least seven days for ballots to get through the mail. The Wisconsin Elections Commission recommends requesting an absentee ballot no later than Oct. 27. The deadline for Wisconsin voters to return their absentee ballots is 8 p.m. on Election Day.

The upshot: \"Return your ballot as soon as you can. Do not wait,\" Magney said.

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