How Does Election Security Work in Wisconsin? » Urban Milwaukee

as part of America Strengthened The WPR project is one of dozens of public radio stations that reach voters directly and answer their questions.

Some voters had questions about how elections are run in Wisconsin and what precautions are taken to ensure election security.

The answers below have been compiled from sources. including Wisconsin Election CommissionWisconsin laws and interviews with current and former Wisconsin clerks.

What is the deadline for counting absentee or mail-in ballots?

Absentee ballots must be received no later than 8 p.m. on Election Day in order to be counted.

It’s probably too late to mail your ballot It’s due by November 5, but you have other options to return it, including going to your local clerk’s office. polling station or absentee ballot counting location.

Some communities also have drop boxes for returning absentee ballots.

Click here to track the status of your absentee ballot.

How do election officials ensure that voter registration lists are up to date to ensure that people who are not authorized to vote do not vote?

Wisconsin clerks use a statewide voter registration database called WisVote. Clerks receive information from the Social Security Administration that allows them to flag voters who may have died and whose voter registrations should be deactivated.

Clerks also receive daily updates from Wisconsin. Penitentiary Institution about people convicted of serious crimes. People convicted of felonies cannot vote while actively serving their sentences in Wisconsin. But when these Wisconsinites serve longer “on paper” — meaning they complete their sentences, including parole or extended supervision — they are allowed to register to vote once again.

Wisconsin also participates in an interstate agreement called the Electronic Registration Information Center that allows election officials there to compare voter registrations with other states.

“This helps ensure accuracy by sharing data on voters who may have moved to or registered in other states,” he said Sam Lieberta former Shorewood Hills clerk, currently employed He is the director of Wisconsin nonprofit All Voting is Local.

you can Click here to check if you’re registered to vote in Wisconsin. Wisconsin offers same-day voter registration, which means: You have until the polls close at 20:00. Election Day to register to vote.

What type of software/hardware is used to count votes? Will these also be counted manually?

In Wisconsin, votes are mostly counted electronically using machines called tabulators. Local election officials in Wisconsin can choose from a list of equipment approved and tested by the Wisconsin Elections Commission and the U.S. Election Assistance Commission.

Studies have shown using machines to count ballots More accurate than counting by hand. Spreadsheets are also It is much less time consuming.

“People make mistakes, and tired people make mistakes,” Sun Prairie Clerk said. Elena Hilbywho is leading Wisconsin Municipal Clerks Association. “The machines are very meticulous and the machines can be inspected, and so are ours.”

Following the general election, Wisconsin requires officials to complete an audit that includes a partial hand count. This hand’s tally It is held in randomly selected locations to verify that voting machines are tabulating correctly.

“I participated in these audits and I am here to tell you that hand counting is far less accurate than machine counting,” said the former Milwaukee Election Commission Director. Claire Woodall in question. “Machines cannot be interrupted. There are no side conversations. “They don’t suddenly skip voter numbers while you’re sitting there counting and tallying.”

What security measures are in place to protect the confidentiality of the vote?

Whether you voted or not Generally public records in Wisconsin, But how you vote is private.

The ballot paper does not contain any identifying information such as your name or signature.

“When you fill out your ballot into the tabulator, or we fill out the ballots, the tabulator takes a digital photo of each one. And of course we still have the hard copy,” Hilby explained. “And then when we close our surveys, all the images are randomly selected. … So we can see every ballot, but there is no way to link it to a specific voter.”

When will the results be official? How long does it take?

Election results will not be official until certifieda process that can take several weeks.

How do election officials certify election results? What happens if they don’t confirm the election results?

Municipal canvassing boards meet publicly after the election and have until November 11 to double-check and certify the results.

After municipalities, county vote tallies have until November 19 to certify their results at the county level to certify their results.

These results will be sent to the Wisconsin Elections Commission by Dec. 1, the deadline for certifying statewide results.

Voting rights groups including All Votes Are Local, officials say There is a duty to confirm the results applied for Under Wisconsin law.

“This is not the time to debate the law,” Woodall said of certification. “This is not the time to question the procedures in place on election day. “The canvas is reviewed and its accuracy is confirmed, and then the certification is actually a form of administrative or ministerial action.”

If election officials refuse to certify Wisconsin results, there could be legal consequences, including upholding court orders. Analysis from the Brennan Center for Justice.

But Liebert said he didn’t expect that to happen.

“Wisconsin has never had an issue with certification and we are not planning to start this year,” he said.

How do election officials ensure that an absentee or mail ballot comes from a legitimate voter and has not been tampered with?

Ballot envelopes in Wisconsin have a unique barcode to ensure someone votes. cannot vote twice. After this code is scanned, Officials mark voters in the poll book It’s like voting.

Absentee ballots must be signed by the voter. They also must be signed by an adult witness who fills out their address on the absentee ballot envelope.

In addition to checking to make sure the information is there, clerks also make sure the envelope doesn’t appear to have been opened and resealed.

“If it looks like it’s been tampered with, we can’t count it,” Hilby said.

Ballots that appeared to be doctored were set aside so officials could decide later whether to reject them, he said.

Hilby said sometimes ballots appear crumpled after going through the mail machine.

“Usually what we do is contact our voters and say, ‘Hey, your ballot came back a little jumbled,'” Hilby said.

He said sometimes election officials have time to contact the voter with the damaged ballot and ask them to submit a different ballot by the deadline.

Listen to the WPR report

Answer Wisconsin election security FAQs originally aired by Wisconsin Public Radio.