How Wisconsin delivers accurate election results
From vetting each voter’s eligibility to using a powerful statewide database that helps ensure there’s only one ballot per voter, Wisconsin constantly works to protect the integrity of your local elections. Our highly-trained election officials use a sophisticated mix of security measures and practical safeguards to make sure every legal vote is counted correctly—whether you cast your vote at the polls or by absentee ballot
- Absentee voter info gets verified.
Before they can request an absentee ballot, eligible voters must first register to vote. Their information and eligibility is double-checked before they receive a ballot.
- There’s just one ballot per voter.
A powerful statewide database tracks every ballot and voter registration to help local clerks verify voter eligibility and ensure there’s just one ballot per registered voter.
- Absentee votes must be witnessed.
For an absentee by mail ballot to be considered valid, absentee voters must have a witness—an adult U.S. citizen who can confirm the voter filled out their own ballot.
- Ballots are securely stored and transported.
Absentee ballots are carefully collected and securely stored until Election Day. There’s a transparent chain of custody for every ballot and voting machine that Wisconsin uses.
- Absentee ballots always get counted.
Valid absentee ballots are always counted on Election Day, no matter if the race is tight or looks like a landslide.
- We test and certify the voting equipment.
Most absentee ballots are counted on local voting machines that have been certified and then tested in public before every election, ensuring the equipment is accurate and in good working order. In hand-count jurisdictions, the entire process of opening and counting ballots is conducted by a team of people in a setting that must be open to public observation.
- Every vote has a paper trail.
Wisconsin requires a paper record of every vote that’s cast in our state, no matter what kind of ballot or voting equipment is used.
- The public can observe the process.
From voting machine testing to the counting of absentee ballots, members of the public are welcome to observe the election process alongside trained local election officials.
- Election results are triple-checked.
An election’s vote total isn’t official until it has been checked at the municipal level, double-checked by the county, and certified by the state.
- Officials look for inaccuracies.
Local election officials conduct two separate audits after Wisconsin elections to look for count inaccuracies and identify cases of vote ineligibility or fraud.