As absentee voting becomes more standardized in Wisconsin, lines of early voters have been growing at city clerks’ offices.

Wisconsin is one of 34 states that allow early voting, which occurs the two full weeks before Election Day. Beginning this year, in-person absentee voting hours have changed and are now standardized throughout the state.

“The legislature talked about wanting more consistency in the hours,” Reid Magney, spokesperson from the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, said. “So the clerk can offer absentee voting in their office between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m.”

In accordance with this new regulation, in-person absentee voting is available at the Madison City Clerk’s office from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., Oct. 20 to 24 and Oct. 27 to 31, Magney said. Voters can also send in their absentee ballots by mail during this time.

Magney said any ballot cast before Nov 4 is considered absentee, even if it is cast at the clerk’s office, a process that sometimes causes confusion and about which there are often misconceptions, Magney said.

“Sometimes voting in the clerk’s office is called early voting, but it is truly in-person absentee voting,” Magney said.  “Some people expect to be able to put their ballot into a machine, but that’s not possible. It goes into an envelope and it goes to the polling place and it gets counted on Election Day.”

Magney estimated that 15 to 20 percent of ballots are typically cast before actual Election Day, making absentee voting an essential part of the election process. In addition, anyone is able to vote absentee in Wisconsin.

“Since 2000, you don’t have to give a reason why,” Magney said. “You don’t have to be in the hospital or out of town or anything like that.”

There are many factors that cause individuals to vote absentee, Magney said, including illness, being out of town or wanting to avoid lines at the polling locations.

However, he said the last reason should not be particularly compelling. Magney said there have been lines at clerk’s offices to vote and there may not necessarily be lines on Election Day.

“It’s far more convenient if you can vote over an extended period of time than if you have to vote on a specific day,” University of Wisconsin political science professor Matthew Kearney said.  “Early voting dramatically increases the flexibility that people have.”

Kearney said absentee and early voting has been increasing over time. He speculates that the new standardization of early voting hours will increase in-person early voting in Wisconsin.

In many parts of the state, in-person early voting hours have actually increased this year, due to the new regulations. Kearney suggests this will reduce the need for absentee ballots by mail, because there is a longer period of time for people to do it in person at the clerk’s office.

“What I would predict, is that liberalizing early voting will decrease absentee voting by mail, and probably increase overall turnout,” Kearney said.