Military and Overseas Voters in Wisconsin

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According to Wisconsin’s Government Accountability Board (GAB), which oversees elections, 65 of the state’s 1,851 municipalities did not send requested absentee ballots to military and overseas voters at least 45 days prior to the April 3, 2012 presidential primary, as required by federal law. A total of 229 ballots were not sent out on time, including six that were sent out more than three weeks after the 45-day deadline.

Additionally, as of the Monday before Election Day, an additional 56 municipalities had not responded to GAB requests to confirm whether or not ballots had been sent out on time.

In response to the GAB’s report, the U.S. Department of Justice entered a consent decree with Wisconsin. In the municipalities where ballots were sent out late, the decree mandated the deadline for receiving these ballots be extended.