• COVID-19 Resources
  • About
  • Subscribe
  • Promotions
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • May 11, 2025

Milwaukee Courier Weekly Newspaper

"THE NEWSPAPER YOU CAN TRUST SINCE 1964"

  • News
  • Editorials
  • Education
  • Urban Business
  • Health
  • Religion
  • Upcoming Events
  • Classifieds

Share:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Tweet
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print

Wisconsin Mayors Issue Early Voting Challenge to Five Cities

October 30, 2020

By Ana Martinez-Ortiz

Early voting for the 2020 election is nearly over – it ends Sunday, Nov. 1 – and to encourage more people to vote early, the mayors of five major cities in Wisconsin have issued a challenge.

Mayor Cory Mason of Racine, Mayor John Antaramian of Kenosha, Mayor Eric Genrich of Green Bay, Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway of Madison and of course, Mayor Tom Barrett of Milwaukee held a virtual press conference on Monday, Oct. 26.

During the meeting, Mason explained that the five of them have been having weekly discussions to foster collaboration and share best practices when it comes to voting. In light of the pandemic, cities across the nation are encouraging voters to cast their ballot absentee by mail or in-person at an early voting polling site.

The challenge is this: the five cities are competing to see which can get the highest percentage of registered voters to vote early. And while there’s no official prize, aside from bragging rights, the heart of the challenge is to get people to vote.

Each of these cities offers early voting locations and absentee ballot drop boxes. Milwaukee residents can go to city.milwaukee.gov/414votes for information on drop boxes and early voting sites.

The drop boxes in Milwaukee will remain open until 7:30 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3.

“We are certainly on track to surpass the number of early votes in 2016,” Barrett said.

One of the biggest challenges that Wisconsin is facing is the fact that all votes, including absentee ballots, must be counted on Election Day. In other words, despite the high number of absentee ballots, they can’t be counted until Election Day.

To overcome this hurdle, Milwaukee has purchased 10 high speed counting machines to keep up with the pace, Barrett said. All the absentee ballots will be processed at a central counting location, he added.

Antaramian said the legislature needs to change in order for early votes to be counted as they arrived rather than waiting until Tuesday.

“It’d be helpful to start counting sooner rather than later,” he said.

Polling sites are being equipped with plexiglass, hand sanitizer and social distancing measures to ensure a safe vote for everyone. The protocol being taken show a marriage between the Election Commission and the health department, Barrett said.

Rhodes-Conway said that Madison is learning from what happened in April and August to better inform the November election. Election officials have spoken with 20 organizations to ensure not only a safe environment but an equitable one as well.

“[We are doing] everything to make sure everyone has a way to vote that works for them,” she said.

Genrich said that Green Bay is making sure that its residents know that voting can be fun.

“Democracy is really fun and inspiring,” he said, adding that the city’s “I Voted” stickers have been made by a local artist.

“We want everyone to participate in this election is the safest and most secure way possible,” Genrich said. “Early voting plays a role in that.”

The mayors encouraged that all of Wisconsin join in the challenge to increase the percentage of early voters.

Early voting ends on Sunday, Nov. 1. The election will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 3. Remember to bring your photo ID. For more information go to myvote.wi.gov.

Share:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Tweet
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print

Popular Interests In This Article: Ana Martinez-Ortiz, Early Voting, Voting

Read More - Related Articles

  • What Would Martin Luther King, Jr. Say About the World Today
  • Record-High Number of School Referendums Held This Year, but Approval Rates are Declining
  • Kamala Harris Energizes a Packed Crowd at Milwaukee Rally, Urging Voter Participation Ahead of Election
  • Milwaukee Courier Political Endorsements
  • Clean Air, Clean Water, and Clean Energy Jobs are My Reasons for Voting for Kamala Harris for President of the United States
Become Our Fan On Facebook
Find Us On Facebook


Follow Us On X
Follow Us On X

Editorials

Lakeshia Myers
Michelle Bryant
Dr. Kweku Akyirefi Amoasi formerly known as Dr. Ramel Smith

Journalists

Karen Stokes

Topics

Health Care & Wellness
Climate Change
Upcoming Events
Obituaries
Milwaukee NAACP

Politicians

David Crowley
Cavalier Johnson
Marcelia Nicholson
Governor Tony Evers
President Joe Biden
Vice President Kamala Harris
Former President Barack Obama
Gwen Moore
Milele A. Coggs
Spencer Coggs

Classifieds

Job Openings
Bid Requests
Req Proposals
Req Quotations
Apts For Rent

Contact Us

Milwaukee Courier
2003 W. Capitol Dr.
Milwaukee, WI 53206
Ph: 414.449.4860
Fax: 414.906.5383

Copyright © 2025 · Courier Communications | View Privacy Policy | Site built and maintained by Farrell Marketing Technology LLC
We use third-party advertising companies to serve ads when you visit our website. These companies may use information (not including your name, address, email address, or telephone number) about your visits to this and other websites in order to provide advertisements about goods and services of interest to you. If you would like more information about this practice and to know your choices about not having this information used by these companies, click here.