Thursday, Mar. 30, 2023
Does the US Postal Service recommend mailing absentee ballots seven days before the election?
The U.S. Postal Service recommends mailing absentee ballots at least seven days before an election in Wisconsin to ensure they arrive on time.
After voters mail their ballot, they can track it to make sure it was received at myvote.wi.gov. All ballots must arrive by 8 p.m. on Election Day.
If voters do not mail their ballot a full week before the election — and want to ensure their ballot gets delivered on time — there are other options.
Voters can drop off their ballot at their municipal clerk's office or vote in-person absentee. Some clerks may require voters to schedule an appointment or go to an early voting location outside of the clerk's office, such as a local library. Otherwise, voters can bring their ballots to their assigned polling place or absentee ballot counting location before 8 p.m. on Election Day.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
- US Postal Service When should I mail my completed ballot?
- State of Wisconsin Vote Absentee Guide
- State of Wisconsin Deadlines for 2023 elections
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Fact briefs are bite-sized, well-sourced explanations that offer clear "yes" or "no" answers to questions, confusions, and unsupported claims circulating online. They rely on publicly available data and documents, often from the original source. Fact briefs are written and published by Gigafact contributor publications.
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