Absentee ballots are coming in incorrect, need corrections to count

Did you write your witness’ full address?

Concerns about deficient absentee ballots isn’t a new thing for election clerks in Wisconsin.

The latest issue has some groups threatening lawsuits.

Confusion over new instructions, go the claims, about what exactly constitutes a missing address for a ballot witness.

Those instructions are in the ballot envelope, La Crosse city clerk Teri Lehrke said, but they’re still coming back wrong.

State law says clerks can attempt to help correct the ballots.

“We have been doing that,” Lehrke said. “When we get them back in the mail we are attempting to make contact with the voter and let them know what’s going on.”

Lehrke says, right now, her office is receiving about two incomplete or deficient absentee ballots per day, which isn’t so bad. She doesn’t expect it to remain so low, however.

“That’s a fair assumption,” Lehrke said. “Yes, it will be (a challenge if more come in), but we make every effort to do that, so that every vote counts.”

Righting the error doesn’t require a ton of paperwork, either.

“With this kind of a correction, if we can get the voter’s authorization over the phone, then that’s a simple fix,” Lehrke said, adding that each absentee ballot is mailed out with instructions – ones that many would-be voters never really seem to read.