Wisconsin is prepared for Nov. 3 election, report says
Pandemic, USPS concerns have been accommodated for
Wisconsin is ready for November’s presidential election, despite the coronavirus pandemic and concerns over the U.S. Postal Service, according to a new report.
The Wisconsin Elections Commission released its election preparedness report ahead of its Tuesday meeting, listing all the preparations that have been made ahead of the Nov. 3 election, ranging from security to absentee ballots to online voter registration.
The commission is preparing for more than 3 million Wisconsin residents to cast their votes, whether through mail-in ballots or in-person, according to the report. The commission is hoping that its plan will help clerks avoid the huge issues that occurred in April, such as the closing of polling locations and absentee ballots that were lost in the mail.
The commission consists of three Republicans and three Democrats.
Here are some of the updates.
Absentee ballots
Municipalities will be better prepared to handle a low in-person turnout and higher numbers of absentee ballots, the report said. Historically, about 6% of voters use absentee ballots, but that number went up to 60% for the April election, requiring updates to how the voting system works, the report said.
To begin, the website will be updated to smooth out the ballot application process, with more information on what types of photo identification are acceptable and when it is required. A new review page will allow voters to ensure their information is correct and to fix any errors.
The system has also been updated to allow clerks to contact voters more quickly and easily if their application is missing information or a valid identification photo, through the MyVote system and through the mail.
Intelligent mail bar codes will be used for ballots sent out for the November election, meaning that clerks will be able to track ballots on every step of their journey. Voters will see a condensed version of the travel history of their ballot on the MyVote website, showing when their ballot is sent out, an anticipated delivery date and when it is received by the clerk when completed. The intelligent mail system will notify clerks if there are issues with ballots not being sent or ballots going missing in the mail. Guidance is also being developed for canceling and reissuing ballots when voters have problems with the mail.
It’s expected absentee ballots will require about five to seven days’ round
trip if they are returned promptly, though the U.S.-Postal Service has said it could take up to a week in each direction.
The statewide voting system will now allow clerks to issue large batches of absentee ballots all at once through the creation of printed labels. This system has been used by larger municipalities before but will now be available to all clerks, replacing the time-consuming task of hand-addressing envelopes. This process also allows ballots to be scanned when they’re received, instead of a manually entered receipt for the ballot.
Coordination with the Postal Service
The commission will be working alongside the Postal Service to ensure that absentee voters are getting their ballots in time to return them before Election Day. While the intelligent mail barcodes are one part of the collaboration, there are other steps that clerks will be able to take.
Clerks will be able to coordinate the coming and going of ballots with local postmasters, and absentee ballots will be given a special bright green tag, which will allow for easy identification during processing.
Poll workers
Recruiting poll workers was one of the biggest issues in the April election, requiring polling places to be consolidated in places like Milwaukee, which forced thousands of voters into a small number of sites.
To avoid a similar problem, the commission has encouraged all state agencies to permit employees to serve as poll workers, as well as local government employees and elected or appointed officials. The commission has also encouraged clerks to recruit high school and college students and teachers.
The commission has already been in contact with the Wisconsin National Guard about staffing polling locations during the November election. So far, 1,100 Guard members have been requested to work at polling locations, but that number will be updated as clerks recruit workers.
To attract poll workers, clerks may also authorize hazard pay.
Workers will be provided with personal protective equipment while they are at the polls, including gloves, masks and hand sanitizer, disinfectant sprays and wipes. Workers will also be given access to boxes of pens, so that no voter is required to re-use a writing utensil that the voter before them touched. Some municipalities have also chosen to purchase or make Plexiglas dividers, to separate poll workers from voters during the check-in process.
Security
The commission is working to improve communication between itself, local officials running elections and state and federal partners providing cybersecurity and intelligence information, the report said. The commission is working with several different agencies to provide security, and all workers will be trained ahead of time. Though the training largely won’t be able to occur in person due to the COVID-19 pandemic, online training will be offered.
According to the report, security measures have been tested in other elections this year, and all have worked smoothly.