No, in-person absentee voting can't take place on Monday before Election Day in Wisconsin

In a change of tune from previous elections, Republicans have encouraged voters to “bank” their votes by casting their votes early at in-person absentee sites.

That includes Republican U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden, who represents western Wisconsin in Congress. On April 1, 2024, he wrote on X (formerly Twitter):

“Get out and vote in-person-absentee TODAY at your clerks office! (Or) in-person tomorrow at your designated polling station!” Van Orden said.

But for Wisconsin’s presidential primary election — held April 2 — early voting was only offered through March 31.

Let’s clear up the dates for early voting in Wisconsin, and why that wasn’t an option at the time Van Orden made the claim.

For presidential primary, clerks could offer early voting between March 19 and 31

Van Orden’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But the Wisconsin Elections Commission has a list of dates for the presidential primary, including the deadline for early voting.

That list explains that early voting started on March 19, and can run through March 31. March 31 was Easter and marked the Sunday before Election Day.

Communities can choose which dates in that range to have early voting, along with hours and locations. While it can take place at a clerk’s office, it can also be held at community centers and libraries, for example.

For example, the City of Milwaukee offered early voting through March 30 and included locations like UW-Milwaukee's Helene Zelazo Center for the Performing Arts.

State law lays out time range, early voting can run through Sunday before Election Day

The restriction on conducting early voting on Monday isn’t just for this election. It’s part of state law.

“If application is made in person, the application shall be made no earlier than 14 days preceding the election and no later than the Sunday preceding the election,” state law says.

Translation: In-person absentee can only happen between 14 days out from the election and the Sunday before Election Day (which is always a Tuesday).

So that means early voting is not possible on Monday, which is when Van Orden made his tweet encouraging people to do so.

And one more interesting point: Wisconsin does not allow for voter registration on the Saturday, Sunday or Monday before Election Day.

So, early voting toward the end of that time range is not possible if you need to register or re-register. If that applies to you, registering at the polls is still an option.

Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on April 2. That second part of Van Orden’s claim is right: You can vote in-person at the polls tomorrow.

Our ruling

The day before Wisconsin’s presidential primary, U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden encouraged people to “get out and vote in-person-absentee TODAY at your clerks office!”

But state law only allows for early voting through the Sunday before an Election Day. Early voting was not offered on the Monday before the election, when Van Orden made his claim.

One more reminder for good measure: You can still go to your polling place on April 2, and register to vote there if you need to.

But Van Orden gave voters the impression they could vote in-person absentee on April 1, when in fact that opportunity ended on March 31.

We rate his claim False.

Sources

X, Rep. Derrick Van Orden, April 1, 2024.

Wisconsin Elections Commission, Absentee Voting Deadlines for the April 2, 2024 Spring Election, April 1, 2024.

Wisconsin Statutes, 6.86(1)(b), April 1, 2024.

Wisconsin Elections Commission, Voter Registration, April 1, 2024.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: No, early voting can't happen on Monday before election in Wisconsin