Central Count Absentee Ballot Municipalities

The governing body of any municipality may provide by ordinance that, instead of processing absentee ballots at the polling place, absentee ballots be processed and canvassed at an alternate site. Wis. Stat. § 7.52. The municipality is required to submit a notification, in writing, to the Wisconsin Elections Commission on how the municipality intends to process absentee ballots at a central location and the municipality is required to consult with the Wisconsin Elections Commission staff. The municipal board of absentee ballot canvassers shall publicly canvass all absentee ballots at all elections held in the municipality after the passage of an ordinance directing alternate central count of absentee ballots. 

Municipalities that use central count are required by statute to post the number of absentee ballots that the clerk has mailed or transmitted to voters and that have been returned by the closing hour on Election Day. 

For more information about Central Count Absentee procedures, please see the Election Administration Manual.

List of municipalities currently authorized to use Central Count Absentee Ballot sites.