MILWAUKEE — After three candidates dropped out of Wisconsin's U.S. Senate seat in less than a week, some voters may be wondering if their vote for a candidate who left the race still counts.
Good news: you can change your vote, and here's how.
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According to Milwaukee Election Dir. Claire Woodall-Vogg, voters can spoil and re-vote up to three times by mail or at early voting.
However, Woodall-Vogg says if you wish to cancel and re-vote, you must cancel your ballot by Thursday, Aug. 4. if you want to be mailed a new ballot or if you plan to go to the polls on Election day.
Voters have until Saturday, Aug. 6 to spoil their original ballot and re-cast a vote at early voting, Woodall-Vogg says.
Once the deadline has passed, the Milwaukee Elections Commission says a returned absentee ballot cannot be changed and voter cannot be issued another ballot on Election Day. The Democratic primary is Aug. 9.
Spoiling absentee ballot deadlines:
- Regular voters
- Thursday, Aug. 4: spoil ballots; requests new ballot by mail or to vote at their polling place on Election Day
- Saturday, Aug. 6: spoil ballots; requests new ballot in person at early voting location
- Indefinitely confined voters
- Friday, Aug. 5: spoil ballots; requests new ballot by mail or to vote at their polling place on Election Day
- Saturday, Aug. 6: spoil ballots; requests new ballot in person at early voting location
City of Milwaukee voters can request that their ballot be spoiled by emailing absenteeballot@milwaukee.gov, calling 414-286-VOTE (8683), or going to an in-person absentee (early) voting site by the deadline listed above.
Starting Tuesday, voters across Wisconsin could begin casting their ballots for the primary election. Earlier this month, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled that absentee ballot drop boxes can’t be used going forward.
Woodall-Vogg says that decision only affects where you can vote early, not how.
“Nothing with the recent court ruling has changed how we conduct in-person absentee voting, also known as early voting. What's changed is if you have an absentee ballot by mail, how you can return that ballot, and one of the places you can return it is at an early voting site,” said Woodall-Vogg.
There are four early voting locations in Milwaukee:
- Frank P. Zeidler Municipal Building (841 North Broadway, Room 102)
- Good Hope Library (7715 W Good Hope Rd)
- Midtown Center (5700 West Capitol Drive)
- Zablocki Library (3501 West Oklahoma Avenue)
You can vote on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on weekends from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Milwaukee Bucks Executive Alex Lasry announced Wednesday he is dropping out of the race for Wisconsin's U.S. Senate seat.
Outagamie County Executive Tom Nelson also suspended his campaign for Senate this week. The two were several Democratic candidates seeking to unseat Republican Sen. Ron Johnson.
