WEC: No increase, decrease in late-arriving mail-in ballots

(The Center Square) – Wisconsin’s Elections Commission says there was no increase in late mail-in ballots last month, but there also wasn't a decline.

The commission this week released a survey of local election clerks that focused on the problem of ballots that are delayed through the mail.

"In the weeks surrounding the 2026 spring election, Commission staff received reports from some clerks and voters concerned that mailed absentee ballots were taking an unusually long time to reach their destination. These individual reports were concerning, but their anecdotal nature prevented a thorough analysis of the situation. Staff therefore asked Wisconsin County and Municipal clerks to share their experiences through a standardized online survey," the Commission wrote in a report.

The commission did not ask local clerks exactly how many late ballots they received or how many ballots were not counted because they were late. Instead, the Commission asked clerk about six things:

• Observed problems with mail travel times

• Absentee ballot travel times as compared with prior elections

• Voter feedback about absentee ballot travel times

• Perceived average travel time for ballots through the mail (one-way)

• Late arriving ballots as compared with prior elections

The clerks said 9% of them received more late mail-in ballots for the August primary compared to the spring election. The survey found that 48% of clerks said the number was about the same number of late ballots.

Hundreds of ballots in Milwaukee, Madison and across the state were not counted because they arrived at local election offices after the deadline at 8 p.m. on Election Day.

Commissioner Don Millis said the biggest takeaway from the survey should be that voters need to get their ballots into the mail as early as possible.

“We’re telling people to return your ballot two weeks beforehand," Millis said.

Clerks said in the survey that it usually takes three or four days for mail-in ballots to reach voters or get back to the clerk's office, though some said it takes as long as 10 days.

This story originally appeared on thecentersquare.com.