ELECTION INFORMATION: Merrill clerk walks voters through how ballots are cast, secured, and counted

Early voting is underway in Merrill, and City Clerk Lori Anderson-Malm wants residents to know exactly what happens to their ballots from the moment they are cast until results are reported on election night.
“I am really big on election integrity,” Anderson-Malm said.
The general election is Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Early voting
In-person absentee voting, commonly called early voting, began Tuesday, Oct. 20, and runs through Friday, Oct. 30, at Merrill City Hall, 1004 E. First St. Voters may go to either the Treasurer’s window or the Clerk’s office. Voting is available from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., with hours extended until 5 p.m. on the final day.

Early voters must show acceptable photo ID. After marking the ballot, the voter places it in a certificate envelope and signs it. The Clerk seals the envelope and signs as the voter’s witness. Ballots may not leave the voting site.
The Clerk, Treasurer’s office staff, and poll workers cannot advise voters on how to vote, including how to interpret any of the three statewide referendum questions that are on the Nov. 3 ballot.

Voting absentee by mail
Any registered voter may request an absentee ballot by mail at myvote.wi.gov or by submitting a written request to the Clerk’s office. Voters who have not previously provided a copy of their photo ID must include one with the request. The deadline to request a ballot is 5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 29.
The Clerk’s office mails each ballot and keeps a careful record of every ballot issued and returned. Voters can track their ballot’s status at myvote.wi.gov. Completed ballots must be received by 8 p.m. on Election Day. With mail delivery times in mind, voters may want to hand-deliver ballots to the Clerk’s office.

Absentee voting is already well underway. Anderson-Malm said she has mailed more than 400 absentee ballots so far, and about half have been returned.

Chain of custody
Once sealed, early and mailed absentee ballots are locked in the vault at City Hall, filed by district, where they stay until Election Day. That morning, Anderson-Malm delivers them to the polling place where each voter would have cast a ballot in person.
At each polling place, the Chief Inspector, the lead election official on site, oversees poll workers as they open the envelopes, check the voters in, and feed the ballots through the tabulator along with ballots cast that day. Wisconsin law does not allow absentee ballots to be processed before polls open on Election Day, so no early ballot is counted ahead of time.
Getting it right the first time

Voters at the polls on Election Day have a safety net. A voter who makes a mistake while marking a ballot can turn it in for a replacement, up to three ballots in all, as long as the ballot has not yet been fed into the tabulator. Early voters at City Hall can also request a new ballot while they are still marking theirs.
That changes once an absentee ballot goes into its envelope.
“Once it’s sealed, the vote is considered cast,” Anderson-Malm said.
Voters who have already cast an absentee ballot, whether in person or by mail, may not vote again at the polls on Election Day or change the ballot they already cast.
Because poll workers open absentee envelopes and run the ballots through the tabulator on Election Day, the voter is not there to correct a mistake. If a voter selects too many candidates in a race, the vote in that race is not counted, though the rest of the ballot is. Voters who notice a mistake on a mailed ballot before returning it should contact the Clerk’s office about a replacement.
On Election Day, every polling place also has accessible voting equipment, and any voter may use it, not only voters with disabilities. The machine prevents a voter from overvoting, or selecting more candidates than allowed in a race.

Reporting results
After polls close, tabulated results from each city polling place are saved to a flash drive and taken to the Lincoln County Clerk’s office, where results from polling places across the county are also delivered. Under state law, municipal Clerks have two hours after tabulation to report unofficial results to the County Clerk, who then has two hours to post them. Lincoln County Clerk Chris Marlowe’s office reports results for the county.
Election-night numbers are unofficial until they are reviewed by the county board of canvassers and certified by the state.

Only citizens may vote

Federal and state law permit only U.S. citizens to vote. In November 2024, Wisconsin voters approved a constitutional amendment stating that only a U.S. citizen age 18 or older may vote in national, state, or local elections.
Voters must show acceptable photo ID at the polls. Accepted forms include a Wisconsin driver license or state ID card (a REAL ID is not required), a U.S. passport, a military ID, a certificate of naturalization issued within the past two years, an ID card from a federally recognized Wisconsin tribe, and a veterans ID card. A full list is available at bringit.wi.gov.
Residents without an acceptable ID can get a Wisconsin state ID card free for voting at any Division of Motor Vehicles service center. Applicants should bring proof of name and date of birth, proof of identity, proof of Wisconsin residency, proof of U.S. citizenship, and their Social Security number. Those missing documents, such as a birth certificate, can still receive an ID through the DMV’s ID Petition Process. The DMV hotline is 844.588.1069.
Noncitizens who are legally in the country can obtain a Wisconsin driver license or ID card, but cards issued to temporary visitors are marked “Limited Term,” and commercial driver licenses issued to them are marked “Non-Domiciled.” Under Wisconsin Elections Commission guidance, a poll worker presented with either marking must ask the person for proof of citizenship. Poll workers complete training before each election so they know what to look for on IDs.

Registering to vote

The deadline to register online or by mail has passed. Residents can still register in person at the Clerk’s office at City Hall until 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30, or at their polling place on Election Day.
To register, a voter must have lived at their current address for at least 28 consecutive days before the election and provide a proof-of-residence document showing their name and current address. Acceptable documents include a Wisconsin driver license or state ID with a current address, a utility bill dated within 90 days of the election, a bank statement, a residential lease, a paycheck, or a document from a government agency. Voters can check their registration status at myvote.wi.gov.

Where to vote on Election Day
City of Merrill voters cast ballots at one of three polling places, depending on their aldermanic district:
• Bierman Building, 303 N. Sales St.: Districts 1, 3, 6 and 8 (Wards 1, 2, 3, 5, 11, 14 and 15)

• City Hall, 1004 E. First St.: Districts 2 and 7 (Wards 4, 6, 12, 13 and 16)
• MARC Center, 1100 Marc Drive: Districts 4 and 5 (Wards 7, 8, 9 and 10)
Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voters who are unsure of their district can find their polling place at myvote.wi.gov.
Questions may be directed to the Merrill City Clerk’s office at 715.536.5594. Office hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.