Milwaukee officials say pre-filled forms arriving in mailboxes are not official ballots. Households across Milwaukee have been opening mail that looks official: partially completed voter registration forms, and in some cases absentee ballot request forms, with names and addresses already filled in. After more than 100 calls and emails, city election officials say the packets are not from the Milwaukee Election Commission and are not ballots.
The City of Milwaukee Election Commission posted a warning on Sept. 19. Officials said the mailings are outreach from third-party voter registration groups, not “official election mail.” The forms invite people to “update” their registration. City staff say that step is unnecessary for most voters. In Wisconsin, a registered voter generally needs to update a record only after a move, a name change, or four or more years without voting.
“While these mailings are often well-intentioned, they can be confusing for voters who are already registered and may include outdated or incorrect information,” the commission wrote. “If you are already registered at your current address, please disregard these mailings.” Officials added that the packets do not appear to be malicious or illegal.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that the city’s election office fielded hundreds of phone calls and emails about the mailers. The Wisconsin Elections Commission issued its own advisory on Sept. 21, saying third-party pieces often include messages — and “often errors” — about a voter or the voting process. Some mailers can leave already-registered people thinking they are not on the rolls.
WEC Administrator Meagan Wolfe said voters regularly contact the state before major elections about unsolicited mail. “We encourage voters to scrutinize these materials carefully,” she said. “We strongly advise voters to rely directly on trusted sources. For accurate and official election information, residents should visit MyVote.wi.gov or consult with their local municipal or county clerk.” The commission said it has no legal authority to regulate what private groups send and that the groups are not mailing on the state’s behalf.
State officials have also seen questions about mailings tied to Civitech and the Voter Participation Center. The Voter Participation Center and its partner, the Center for Voter Information, say they have sent about 298,109 voter registration forms and about 181,710 mailers with absentee request forms in Wisconsin. Those groups say they target people who may be less likely to be registered, including people of color, young voters, and unmarried women.
In a statement to the Journal Sentinel, Voter Participation Center President and CEO Tom Lopach said the organization uses the same official forms clerks use and shares sample packets with state election officials before they go out. “If an individual receives our mailer and has already applied to vote-by-mail, they can simply discard it, and we make this clear in the letter that voters receive from our organizations,” he said.
Wisconsin clerks, not outside groups, issue actual ballots. Third-party packets may include a registration form or an absentee application. They do not include a completed ballot that can be dropped in a box and counted. Official absentee ballots go out from municipal clerks, typically in envelopes that may carry the “Official Election Mail” logo reserved for government election offices.
Similar warnings have gone out elsewhere in the state. Kenosha County Clerk Regi Waligora cautioned residents that a private group’s absentee request forms can look official and may carry outdated personal information. Wisconsin law does not ban parties or civic groups from mailing registration or request forms. Clerks still have no oversight of those pieces.
For the Nov. 3 general election, Wisconsin’s deadline to register online or by mail is Oct. 14. In-person registration at a clerk’s office or designated early-voting site runs through Oct. 30 at 5 p.m. Voters can also register at the polls on Election Day with proof of residence. Officials say the first step is not filling out a pre-printed form from the mailbox. It is checking MyVote.wi.gov. If the record is current, no update is required.
