In-Person Early Voting Opens Thursday; Clerk's Office Urges 'Extra Time And Patience'

WAUKESHA — In-person absentee voting opens Thursday at the Waukesha County Courthouse, and the county clerk's office is already managing expectations, asking voters to budget extra time for a ballot it describes as 'longer than usual' at 23 items.

Statewide, early in-person voting is running about 8 percent ahead of the same period in 2022, according to figures the clerk's office cited Monday. Locally, that has translated into a plan to open two additional check-in tables in the courthouse lobby starting Thursday morning, up from the single table used in past cycles.

Bring A Snack

Deputy Clerk Carol Benesh, who is overseeing day-to-day operations of the in-person voting window, said the office has fielded a steady stream of calls this week from voters asking how long they should expect to wait, a question she said is impossible to answer precisely.

"We tell people to bring a water bottle, wear comfortable shoes, and maybe a magazine. The ballot itself takes most people six or seven minutes this year, which adds up fast once you've got forty people ahead of you."

— Carol Benesh, deputy clerk

Benesh said the office is recommending voters arrive before 3 p.m. if possible, to avoid what she called 'the post-work surge,' a roughly 90-minute window between 4:30 and 6 p.m. when lines have historically tripled. Voters who show up during that window, she said, should plan on 35 to 45 minutes.

A Familiar Face In Line

Among those planning to arrive early is Ned England, 70, of Backslide Way, who said he intends to be in the courthouse parking lot by 5:45 a.m. Thursday, roughly two hours before doors open, with a folding lawn chair and a thermos.

"I've voted early every cycle since 2014 and I've never once seen a line move the way they say it's going to move. I'm bringing the chair and I'm bringing the camera, because somebody ought to document how this actually goes."

— Ned England, Backslide Way resident

England said he plans to post footage of the line to his YouTube channel, 'Nedventuresout,' which has 420 subscribers and typically covers neighborhood traffic and parking disputes. He said he has no specific grievance with the voting process itself, but 'wants a record' in case the wait times exceed what the clerk's office has advertised.

What's On The Ballot

The 23 items include a countywide advisory referendum on curbside recycling frequency, three contested school board seats, a handful of municipal judgeships, and a nonbinding question on whether the county should study relocating its vehicle impound lot. Benesh said the recycling referendum has generated the most phone calls, mostly from voters asking whether it is binding.

"It is not binding," Benesh said. "It is advisory. We've explained that probably 200 times this week and I expect to explain it another 200 times by Thursday afternoon."

The clerk's office said poll workers have been instructed to keep a printed sample ballot posted near the check-in tables so voters can review the full list of items before they reach a booth, a change from past years intended to cut down on in-booth deliberation time.

The Long View

Benesh said the office is not anticipating anything close to the lines seen in the 2020 general election, when in-person absentee voting at the courthouse stretched past 90 minutes on several afternoons. Still, she said the office would rather over-warn voters than under-warn them.

"If you show up and the wait is only ten minutes, great, you got ten free minutes back," she said. "If you show up expecting ten minutes and it's forty, that's a worse morning for everybody, including us."

In-person absentee voting runs through Nov. 1 at the Waukesha County Courthouse, 515 W. Moreland Blvd., with hours posted on the county's website. Benesh said the office will add a third check-in table if Thursday's turnout matches projections.