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FACT BRIEF

Can Wisconsin voters in central count communities return absentee ballots to polling places?

By Hope Karnopp
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NO

Voters living in the 38 central count communities — including Milwaukee, Green Bay, Beloit and Janesville—cannot return absentee ballots to their polling places on Election Day, according to the Wisconsin Elections Commission. Central counting involves transporting absentee ballots from all wards to a central location for tabulation instead of at each polling place.

The ballots should instead be returned to the local municipal clerk's office or the central count facility by 8 p.m.

For example, Milwaukee voters can drop off their ballots in Room 501 of City Hall, 200 E. Wells St., or at the central count location at the Wisconsin Center District. Ballots should be dropped at the corner of Vel R. Phillips and Wisconsin Avenue.

A full list of villages, towns and cities that use central count facilities to process absentee ballots is available here: https://elections.wi.gov/central-count-absentee-ballot-municipalities

Voters in those communities who have not turned in or mailed their absentee ballots can still vote at their polling place on Election Day. 

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
City of Milwaukee Absentee Ballot Return Options
State of Wisconsin Central Count Absentee Ballot Municipalities
State of Wisconsin Election Day Manual
WKOW WEC Reminder: Central count communities cannot return absentee ballots at polling places
State of Wisconsin Media Advisory: Covering the 2022 General Election
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Wisconsin Watch, the news arm of the nonpartisan, nonprofit Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, increases the quality and quantity of investigative reporting in Wisconsin, while training current and future investigative journalists. Its work fosters an informed citizenry and strengthens democracy.
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Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.