Platteville clerk reports USPS-related absentee ballot delays; staff reissued ballots and advised voters

Platteville’s City Clerk updated the Common Council March 25 on absentee-ballot mailings for the April 1 election after residents reported nonreceipt.

Colette (City Clerk) summarized the timeline: the county supplies ballots to municipalities (statutory delivery date March 10) and clerks must mail by March 11. The city mailed approximately 361 absentee ballots on March 11. When residents reported missing ballots, staff verified mailing records and learned USPS was routing election mail through the Milwaukee processing facility; the clerk filed a complaint through USPS’s election-mail service and was contacted by Laverne Morgan Hill in the Wisconsin customer-relations office. Staff began receiving ballots at residents’ homes March 21 and authorized reissuing ballots where warranted; some out-of-state voters requested expedited delivery and staff said overnight shipping could be offered at the voter’s expense if applied uniformly.

Colette reminded voters that returning a mailed absentee ballot counts as voting and warned against mailing a ballot and also voting in person; ballots must be received by 8 p.m. on Election Day (April 1) to be counted. Staff also noted that if a mailed ballot arrives after election day it would be tracked in the system and may show as a late return (not counted), which can affect absentee-mailing lists. Council members thanked clerks for proactive outreach and follow-up with USPS and other clerks statewide who reported similar disruptions.

Speakers and specific procedures described in this article come directly from the meeting transcript.