Absentee Voting Highest Ever for Gubernatorial Election

Absenting voting in the city was the highest ever for a gubernatorial race, with 4,530 absentee ballots submitted and another 387 requested but not yet returned, the city clerk's office said Friday.

That represents nearly 18 percent of the city's 27,358 registered voters, with 11 percent coming to vote early in person at City Hall, City Clerk Kelly Michaels said.

About 15 minutes before the 5 p.m. deadline to vote absentee in-person, there was a line of voters waiting, she said. 

The 387 outstanding ballots must be postmarked by Tuesday and received by the clerk's office by June 8 in order to be counted.

The more than 4,500 absentee ballots exceeds the 4,042 total absentee ballots cast in Brookfield in the November 2010 gubernatorial contest between then-Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett.

In the past 20 years, only two elections saw higher numbers of absentee voting in the city: the presidential races in 2008 (Obama-McCain) with more than 8,820 absentee ballots cast, and in 2004 (Bush-Kerry) with 6,120 absentees. ()

Absentee ballot requests grew as the week progressed, rising from 3,496 ballots issued as of Wednesday morning to 4,917 by Friday's deadline.

Brookfield's experience is not unique. was among other municipalities reporting high early voting.

Statewide, more than 182,000 absentee ballots were issued by municipalities that track such data in a statewide system, including most major cities. That compares to 68,000 absentee ballots record in the same system for the May 8 gubernatorial primary election, which had a total voter turnout of about 30 percent.

State officials are predicting turnout to double to between 60 and 65 percent on Tuesday.