Wisconsin voters request 900K absentee ballots for primary

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin voters have requested more than 900,000 absentee ballots for Tuesday’s primary, more than seven times what they requested in the August primary in 2018, according to data state elections officials released Monday.

The sheer volume of applications is another sign of the coronavirus pandemic’s impact as voters try to avoid infection at the polls.

According to the Wisconsin Elections Commission, voters had requested 903,760 absentee ballots and had returned 506,709 as of Monday. That compares with 2018, when they requested 123,393 ballots and returned 106,663.

Tuesday’s primary includes nearly 30 legislative races and two Republican primaries for congressional seats in southeastern Wisconsin’s 5th District and western Wisconsin’s 3rd District. No statewide offices are on the ballot.