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Absentee voting expected to increase in Wisconsin

MADISON, Wis. (AP) From Madison to the suburbs of Milwaukee, Wisconsin elections officials are reporting strong interest in absentee voting for this year's presidential race.

In Madison, the city clerk's office is prepared for up to 40,000 voters to cast their ballots through the mail or in-person at clerk's offices instead of on Election Day. A record 25,000 did so in 2004 in the state capital.

In the Milwaukee suburb of Brookfield, about 1,000 voters have made requests for absentee ballots to be mailed to them. That's about half as many requests the city clerk received in 2004 — and absentee voting has yet to begin.

Statewide, about 365,000 people voted absentee through the mail or at clerk's offices in 2004, said Kyle Richmond, a spokesman for the Government Accountability Board. He said that was about 12 percent of the voting age population in the state; elections officials are expecting up to 15 percent to vote that way this time.

Voters who request mail-in ballots should start receiving them the week of Oct. 6, when they will also be able to vote in-person at clerk's offices. Wisconsin allows no-fault absentee voting, which means anyone can cast their ballot that way if they choose rather than on Election Day.

Both presidential campaigns will work to sew up votes early in a state where polls show the race is extremely close.

Democrat Barack Obama's campaign plans to target college students with absentee ballots to bank their votes early, said spokesman Matt Lehrich. Republican John McCain's campaign has already sent out mailings to hundreds of thousands of voters with absentee ballot request forms addressed to municipal clerks.

Charles Wastell, a 25-year-old McCain supporter in Madison, applied for an absentee ballot this week after receiving one of those mailings.

"It's going to be one of those elections with a high turnout rate, especially in Madison, so I want to avoid the lines at the polling place," said Wastell, a University of Wisconsin-Madison information technology worker. "I probably wouldn't have voted absentee had I not gotten the forms in the mail. It's actually kinda nice."

But those mailings have become a source of confusion to others. About a dozen people complained to the Government Accountability Board after they received the mailing with absentee ballot requests addressed to the wrong municipal clerks.

Richmond said the board found nothing illegal with the mailings but warned voters this week to make sure they address absentee requests to the correct municipal clerks.

Wisconsin Republican Party executive director Mark Jefferson called the problems honest mistakes caused by voter databases that contained inaccurate information. He said the party was working to increase turnout by sending similar mailers and calling targeted voters who may prefer voting absentee, like senior citizens.

Lehrich said Obama's campaign would use celebrities and politicians to spread the word about absentee voting on college campuses. But he said its efforts will not be as intensive as in other states because Wisconsin allows voters to register on Election Day and has a history of well-run elections.

Still, the expected increase in absentee voting means clerks are adding staff, extending their hours and buying extra voting machines to process the ballots. Voters must request mail-in ballots by Oct. 30 and return them by Election Day Nov. 4; they can vote absentee in person through Nov. 3.

Supporters say absentee voting makes it easier for citizens to participate but others bemoan the trend away from Election Day voting.

"We understand some people really truly need absentee ballots but some folks are just plain lazy," said Brookfield City Clerk Kristine Schmidt, who is doubling her staff to eight full-time employees to handle the influx. "They don't want to be bothered by having to stand in line."

Madison City Clerk Maribeth Witzel-Behl said her office will extend its hours and open the final three Saturdays before the election to accommodate absentee voters. Already, more than 2,500 voters have requested absentee ballots.

"They have been coming in fast and steady," she said. "Absentee ballots have become more and more popular."