Wisconsin mails postcards to eligible but unregistered voters

By: CBS 58 Newsroom

Posted: Jun 25, 2020 1:26 PM CDT

MADISON, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Wisconsin is mailing postcards to more than 198,600 state residents who appear to be eligible to vote but are not currently registered.

The official postcards tell potential voters how to register online HERE and give them deadlines and other information about ways to register for upcoming elections. The postcards also include a toll-free number which routes them to a WEC call center.

According to a news release, the WEC sends the postcards because of Wisconsin’s membership in the Electronic Registration Information Center, which helps states improve the accuracy of America’s voter rolls and increase access to voter registration for all eligible citizens. Wisconsin sent similar postcard mailings to 1.28 million eligible but unregistered residents in 2016 and 384,000 residents in 2018.

Some registered voters may inadvertently receive postcards. This can happen when a registered voter’s record does not match the same person’s DOT data. Registered voters who may receive postcards should not worry that their registration is in jeopardy. These voters may want to visit the MyVote website, call the toll-free number or contact their municipal clerk to check that their information is accurate, and to correct any data errors.

Voter Registration and List Maintenance Facts

Wisconsin has a voting-age population of 4,524,066 people, according to estimates by the state’s Demographic Services Center.
Of those, 3,395,382 people were actively registered to vote on June 1, 2020.
Wisconsin has had a statewide voter registration list since 2006.
The Wisconsin Elections Commission helps the state’s 1,850 municipal clerks maintain the voter list by identifying voters who have died, moved, or otherwise become ineligible to vote so the clerks can fulfill their statutory duty to remove them from the active registered list.
In 2016, Wisconsin joined the multi-state Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC), which provides members with additional tools to keep their voter lists current by identifying eligible residents who are not registered, and voters who may have moved or died out of state.
In September of 2016, Wisconsin mailed postcards to 1.28 million people identified by ERIC as being eligible to vote but unregistered, encouraging them to register to vote. In June 2018, a postcard went to 384,000 eligible but unregistered residents.
The 2020 eligible-but-unregistered mailing has a budgeted cost of $81,000.
The final number of postcards being mailed in 2020 is 198,656.