An early voting location in Madison. (Photo: Andrew Beckett)
Early voting ahead of Tuesday’s election has shattered previous records in the state.
The Wisconsin Elections Commission says 797,740 people took advantage of absentee voting options ahead of Election Day. The previous record was set in 2012, when 664,597 absentee ballots were counted.
Early in-person absentee voting ended in most cities on Friday, although some offered opportunities through the weekend.
The final number of absentee ballots cast could grow. Clerks issued a total of 828,248 absentee ballots for the election, some of which are still expected to be mailed or turned in at polling place. Those ballots must be in the hands of local clerks or poll workers by Tuesday.
The number of early votes cast is about a quarter of the overall turnout expected for Tuesday’s election. State election officials expected about 3.1 million people to cast ballots in Wisconsin, which is 69.6 percent of the state’s voting-age population.