Effective immediately, the City of Milwaukee will no longer be operating in-person absentee or “early” voting at the city’s three locations: Zablocki Library, the Zeidler Municipal Building or the Midtown Center. Due to increased CoVid-19 exposure risk, the Election Commission can no longer maintain sufficient staffing levels to operate these sites in a manner that would ensure a safe or efficient public voting experience.
Given the city’s longstanding dedication to fair and equitable elections, the decision to end early voting in Milwaukee has been exceptionally difficult for all involved. However, given daily increases in CoVid-19 cases on the local level, a critical balance must be achieved between access to voting and the health of election workers and the public. Milwaukee residents may still request an absentee ballot online at myvote.wi.gov or by calling 414-286-VOTE. Online voter registration (previously suspended in Wisconsin) will resume on Tuesday, March 24.
Even during extraordinarily difficult times, the Election Commission encourages residents to exercise their constitutional right to vote in the upcoming election. By-mail absentee voting is accessible to the public and safe.
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