Over 70% of Wisconsin's Eligible Voting Population Cast a Ballot in November Election

Saturday, January 30th, 2021 -- 9:01 AM

(WMTV) Despite the pandemic posing challenges for the November 2020 General Election, Wisconsinites voted in record numbers with little difficulties, according to the Wisconsin Elections Commission.

A WEC data report revealed nearly 3.3 million Wisconsin residents, approximately 72 percent of the state’s voting population, cast their vote. Additionally, voter registrations climbed by 11.9 percent from July 1 to Dec. 1., according to the report.

Meagan Wolfe, administrator of the WEC and the state’s chief election official said the turnout is something for state voters, clerks and poll workers to be proud of.

“Thousands of election officials across the state worked countless nights and weekends to deliver a well-administered election despite the challenges of an ongoing pandemic, a battle against election misinformation, and a heightened level of scrutiny which often unfairly villainized them for simply doing their jobs,” Wolfe said.

Across the state, clerks processed nearly 2 million absentee ballot requests, the most Wisconsin has ever seen.  The report also revealed a statewide rejection rate of just 0.2 percent for absentee ballots compared to 1.8 percent in April 2020.

Wolfe said while the numbers are remarkable, there is still room for improvement.  “This is especially true when it comes to public understanding of how things like absentee voting work and how we ensure the integrity of the vote,” Wolfe said.

“The concerns expressed by many residents after the election suggest election officials should continue to seek greater transparency, simplicity and clarity in election processes.”  Sharing data openly is a step towards that goal, Wolfe said.

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