Elections officials plan mass mailing

Wisconsin Elections administrator Meagan Wolfe says applications for mail-in ballots will be sent out in late summer for the November election.

ADRIENNE: WELCOME BACK TO"UPFRONT."WISCONSIN VOTERS CAN EXPECT ANIMPORTANT MAILING.ELECTIONS OFFICIALS PLAN TO SENDOUT APPLICATIONS FOR ABSENTEEBALLOTS TO REGISTERED VOTERS FORTHE NOVEMBER GENERAL ELECTION.THAT WILL BE 2.7 MILLIONAPPLICATIONS PAID FOR THROUGH AFEDERAL CORONAVIRUS RELIEFPACKAGE.BUT THERE ARE STILL SOMEIMPORTANT QUESTIONS SURROUNDINGTHIS, SO WE’RE TALKING WITHSTATE ELECTION COMMISSIONADMINISTRATOR, MEAGAN WOLFE.WE APPRECIATE YOUR TIME.WE KNOW THE COMMISSION VOTED FORTHE STATE TO SEND OUT THOSEAPPLICATIONS.TALK ABOUT WHAT A BIGUNDERTAKING THIS WILL BE.MS. WOLFE: THIS IS ONE OF THREEINITIATIVES PAST, ONE OF THEAGER -- ONE OF THE MAJOR ONESBEING GRANTS FOR ELECTIONOFFICIALS.IN TERMS OF THE MAILING, THATSTILL HAS TO BE APPROVED BY THECOMMISSION.THE DIRECTION AT THIS WEEK’SMEETING WAS THAT STAFF WERE TOPREPARE A MAILING FOR THECOMMISSION’S REVIEW AT THE JUNE10 MEETING.ANOTHER PIECE OF OUR PLAN ISTHAT WE WILL DATA ENTER THOSEAPPLICATIONS IF THEY DO COMEBACK TO OUR OFFICE, RATHER THANTHROUGH LOCAL ELECTIONOFFICIALS.THE LOCAL ELECTION OFFICIALSWOULD STILL HAVE COMPLETEAUTHORITY TO APPROVE OR DENYTHOSE APPLICATIONS, BUT WE WOULDBE HELPING THEM WITH SOME OF THEBIRDING -- SOME OF THE BURDEN INTERMS OF DATA ENTRY.ON JUNE 10, THE COMMISSION WILLFINALIZE THEIR INTENTIONS.THE TIMELINE LOOKS LIKESEPTEMBER.LATE AUGUST OR SEPTEMBER THAT WEWOULD BE LOOKING TO START THOSEPREPARATIONS FOR THAT MAILING.FOR A LOT OF VOTERS, GOING TOTH MYVOTEWI.GOV IS THE EASIESTWAY TO REQUEST A BALLOT, FIND APOLLING PLACE, AND OTHER THINGSRELATED TO VOTING.SOME VOTERS MAY NOT HAVE ACOMFORT LEVEL WITH TECHNOLOGY ORACCESS TO TECHNOLOGY, SOTHEREFORE GETTING THEINFORMATION THROUGH ITINFORMATIONAL MAILER WILL BEIMPORTANT TO THEM.WE ARE MAKING SURE THAT VOTERSGET ALL THE INFORMATION THEYNEED TO MAKE THEIR CHOICE.ADRIENNE: IN APRIL’S ELECTION,WE SAW SOME PROBLEMS WITHABSENTEE BALLOTS.WE ARE EXPECTING MORE MAIL INVOTING FOR NOVEMBER.HOW DO YOU MAKE SURE IT GOESBETTER THIS TIME?MS. WOLFE: WE DID A THOROUGHANALYSIS OF THE ELECTION.WE PRESENTED THAT AS A REPORTSAVAILABLE ON OUR WEBSITE.THIS WENT THROUGH THE GOOD ANDTHE BAD OF THE PROCESS.WE WERE THE ONLY STATE TOIMPLEMENT AN ELECTION AND CHANGEOUR VOTER BEHAVIOR IN THE MIDDLEOF AN ELECTION.SO BALLOTS WENT OUT FOR THEAPRIL ELECTION AT THE END OFFEBRUARY.WE WERE IN THE MIDDLE OF ANACTIVE ELECTION.WE WENT FROM A STATE THAT DOESABOUT 6% VOTING BY MAIL TO OVER62% PALLETS CAST BY MAIL --BALLOTS CAST BY MAIL.THERE ARE A LOT OF CHANGES THATHAVE TO HAPPEN IN THE MIDDLE OFAN ELECTIVE -- OF AN ACTIVEELECTION.WE INVITE EVERY WISCONSIN BOATERTO DIVE INTO THE DATA.SO THAT VOTERS HAVE THAT OPTIONTO UTILIZE ANY OF THE OPTIONSAVAILABLE TO THEM BY LAW.WE ARE MAKING SIGNIFICANTCHANGES TO THE PROCESS,INCLUDING THE PROCESS THAT WOULDALLOW MUNICIPAL CLERKS TO USE ATRACKER LIKE YOU WOULD SEE ON APACKAGE TO TRACK WHERE YOURBALLOT IS IN THE PROCESS.ANOTHER THING IS PREPARING THOSELOCAL OFFICIALS TO HAVE THE SAMESANITATION SUPPLIES AND PPE ASTHEY GET IN APRIL, AND OTHERTHINGS THEY NEED FOR THEIRJURISDICTIONS.WE ARE WORKING ON ALL THOSETHINGS TO ADDRESS EVERYTHING WELEARNED FROM THE APRIL ELECTION.ADRIENNE: THE PRESIDENT HAS SAIDTHAT MAIL-IN VOTING LEADS TOFRAUD.HOW DO YOU ASSURE PEOPLE THATTHAT WILL NOT HAPPEN?MS. WOLFE: EVERY STATE ISDIFFERENT, BUT OUR LAW REQUIRESTHAT WHEN YOU SUBMIT YOURREQUEST, THAT YOU MUST BE AREGISTERED VOTER AT YOUR CURRENTADDRESS AND YOUR CURRENT NAME.SECOND, YOU HAVE TO PROVIDE APHOTO ID ALONG WITH THAT.I WOULD SAY TO VOTERS THAT WITHTECHNOLOGY WE ARE ABLE TOCLOSELY TRACK EVERY SINGLEBALLOTS..EVEN IF SOMEBODY WAS ISSUED MORETHAN ONE BALLOTS, ONLY ONE WOULDBE COUNTED.WITH TECHNOLOGY, WE WOULD BEABLE TO SEE WHERE SOMEBODY’SBALLOT IS TO MAKE SURE THAT ONLYONE VOTE COUNTS FOR ONE VOTERAND THAT THAT VOTER IS ELIGIBLEAND REGISTERED FOR THEIR BALLOTCAN BE ISSUED OR CAST.ADRIENNE: WE KNOW YOU HAVE ABUSY FEW MONTHS AHEAD.THANK YOU.OUR EDITORIAL PARTNER,WISPOLITICS.COM, WRITES ANEWSLETTER TO KEEP YOU UP TOSPEED ON THIS BIG POLITICALYEAR.YOU CAN SUBSCRIBE TO"BATTLEGROUND WISCONSIN 2020" ATWISPOLITICS.COM.NEXT, A MESSAGE FROM FORMERGOVERNOR TOMMY THOMPSON ABOUTCOVID