Wisconsin voters had returned 317,077 absentee ballots as of Thursday, 12 days before the Nov. 3 election. That is 36,852 fewer than at the same point in 2022, a drop of 10.4%, according to Wisconsin Elections Commission data.

The gap was 15.6% a day earlier. In-person absentee voting did most of the work.

In-person absentee voting opened Oct. 20. Through Thursday, voters had cast 103,210 in-person absentee ballots, up 38,132, or 58.6%, from 65,078 at this point four years ago. Everything else is down. Subtract the in-person votes and 213,867 ballots have been returned by mail, drop box or delivery (not in person), down from 288,851 in 2022. That is a 26.0% drop, and those other absentee returns are down in every one of the state’s 72 counties.

WEC’s returned-ballot count now includes in-person absentee votes. WEC doesn’t break out how the rest came back, whether by mail, drop box or hand delivery to a clerk, so the non-in-person figures here are a Dairyland Sentinel calculation: ballots returned minus in-person absentee.

Statewide, the in-person gain has made up about half (50.9%) of the drop in other absentee returns.

Milwaukee and Dane carry most of the gap

Milwaukee and Dane counties are 21,020 ballots behind their 2022 pace. That is 57.0% of the statewide shortfall. Dane is down 10,771, or 20.0%. Milwaukee is down 10,249, or 17.9%.

Both counties have far more in-person votes than in 2022. Milwaukee is up 57.3% and Dane is up 56.9%. But their combined non-in-person returns are down 34.3%, and the in-person gain has covered only about a third (33.7%) of the drop. In the other 70 counties combined, in-person voting has made up 63.4% of the drop in other absentee returns, and total returns there are down just 6.5%.

In-person voting is ahead of 2022 in 70 counties. The two exceptions are small: Marquette (25 vs. 35) and Forest (21 vs. 25).

Where returns are up

Eleven counties have returned more ballots than they had at this point in 2022. Washington County leads with 9,984, up 1,088, or 12.2%. Price is up 8.5% and Walworth is up 8.0%. Racine is up 29 ballots, essentially even.

Waushara has the steepest drop at 34.0%, followed by Lafayette (-26.8%) and Iron (-24.8%).

The turnout numbers say nothing about how anyone voted. Absentee ballots are not counted until Election Day, and nobody should read partisan results into them.

All 72 counties

Total absentee ballots returned (in person plus mail, drop box and delivery) as of Oct. 22, 2026, compared with Oct. 27, 2022. Counties are listed by 2025 Census population estimate.

Milwaukee: 46,980 (-10,249) -17.9%
Dane: 43,149 (-10,771) -20.0%
Waukesha: 32,095 (-1,316) -3.9%
Brown: 15,714 (-1,714) -9.8%
Racine: 10,790 (+29) +0.3%
Outagamie: 10,680 (-978) -8.4%
Winnebago: 9,430 (-1,432) -13.2%
Kenosha: 9,542 (-808) -7.8%
Rock: 8,425 (-526) -5.9%
Marathon: 6,889 (-289) -4.0%
Washington: 9,984 (+1,088) +12.2%
La Crosse: 7,463 (-754) -9.2%
Sheboygan: 6,001 (-420) -6.5%
Eau Claire: 5,594 (-713) -11.3%
Walworth: 5,858 (+433) +8.0%
Fond du Lac: 3,757 (-624) -14.2%
St. Croix: 5,200 (-127) -2.4%
Ozaukee: 7,791 (-611) -7.3%
Dodge: 3,177 (-381) -10.7%
Jefferson: 3,707 (-191) -4.9%
Manitowoc: 3,503 (-415) -10.6%
Wood: 3,745 (-26) -0.7%
Portage: 4,432 (-129) -2.8%
Chippewa: 2,843 (-36) -1.3%
Sauk: 3,008 (-540) -15.2%
Columbia: 2,665 (-418) -13.6%
Calumet: 2,735 (-110) -3.9%
Grant: 1,544 (-155) -9.1%
Waupaca: 1,779 (-224) -11.2%
Monroe: 1,318 (-106) -7.4%
Barron: 1,620 (-121) -7.0%
Dunn: 1,539 (-169) -9.9%
Polk: 1,525 (-108) -6.6%
Douglas: 2,208 (-374) -14.5%
Pierce: 1,697 (-106) -5.9%
Marinette: 1,786 (-163) -8.4%
Shawano: 1,348 (-272) -16.8%
Oconto: 1,545 (-173) -10.1%
Oneida: 2,181 (-255) -10.5%
Green: 1,550 (-218) -12.3%
Clark: 484 (-37) -7.1%
Vernon: 798 (-142) -15.1%
Trempealeau: 655 (-74) -10.2%
Door: 1,636 (-258) -13.6%
Lincoln: 1,099 (-41) -3.6%
Juneau: 653 (-144) -18.1%
Waushara: 575 (-296) -34.0%
Iowa: 1,175 (+1) +0.1%
Vilas: 1,625 (-230) -12.4%
Adams: 910 (+24) +2.7%
Jackson: 432 (-65) -13.1%
Kewaunee: 660 (-82) -11.1%
Taylor: 443 (+13) +3.0%
Langlade: 627 (-6) -0.9%
Green Lake: 611 (-147) -19.4%
Sawyer: 948 (-107) -10.1%
Lafayette: 352 (-129) -26.8%
Burnett: 643 (+14) +2.2%
Washburn: 648 (-141) -17.9%
Richland: 459 (-11) -2.3%
Bayfield: 1,002 (-91) -8.3%
Ashland: 626 (-96) -13.3%
Marquette: 476 (-111) -18.9%
Crawford: 551 (+13) +2.4%
Rusk: 350 (-74) -17.5%
Price: 462 (+36) +8.5%
Buffalo: 282 (-44) -13.5%
Forest: 298 (-50) -14.4%
Pepin: 181 (-20) -10.0%
Iron: 301 (-99) -24.8%
Florence: 220 (+12) +5.8%
Menominee: 98 (+2) +2.1%

Statewide: 317,077 (-36,852) -10.4%

Source: Wisconsin Elections Commission absentee reports for Oct. 22, 2026 and Oct. 27, 2022, both 12 days before Election Day. Figures for ballots returned other than in person are a Dairyland Sentinel calculation, because WEC does not break out return method.