Mail It Back Monday – Make Sure Your Absentee Counts

The City Clerk’s Office has issued 22,205 absentee ballots for the August 13 Partisan Primary, with 13,462 returned to be counted.

The Clerk’s Office strongly encourages absentee voters to mail back their absentee ballots today. Mailing your absentee today, August 5, gives the U.S. Postal Service a week to deliver it to the Clerk’s Office.

“When it comes to making your vote count, deadlines matter,” said Mayor Rhodes-Conway. “Make sure your absentee ballot is returned before the polls close on Election Day.”

Absentee ballots received after Election Day cannot be counted. The postmark does not count. On Election Day, the Clerk’s Office delivers absentee ballots to  each voter’s designated polling place to be counted.

For an absentee ballot to count, the absentee envelope must be:

• Sealed
• Signed by the voter
• Signed by the voter’s witness
• Bearing the printed name of the witness
• Filled out with the witness’ address

City of Madison absentee voters who have yet to return their absentee ballot have a few options:

• Mail the absentee back to the City Clerk’s Office today.
• Deliver the absentee to any City of Madison in-person absentee voting site during voting hours.
• Beginning Tuesday of this week, use the drop box located near any City of Madison Fire Station.
• If wishing to vote at the polls instead, destroy the absentee ballot that was mailed to you.

Under the Voting Rights Act, voters who need help mailing or delivering their ballot due to a disability may get help from a person of their choice. The person providing help may not be the voter's employer, agent of the voter's employer, or officer or agent of the voter's union. Otherwise, voters must mail or deliver their own absentee ballot.

Voters who have returned an absentee ballot to be counted cannot vote at the polls on Election Day without committing a felony.

To track your ballot, visit myvote.wi.gov.

The goal of the City Clerk’s Office is that each eligible voter will be able to cast a ballot and have that ballot counted.