Brookfield Early Voting Exceeds 2008 Presidential Election

A big push to get people to vote early appears to have been successful in Brookfield, where the number of absentee ballots submitted already exceeds that in the 2008 presidential race.

About 31.2 percent of Brookfield's registered voters had submitted absentee ballots by Friday evening, when in-person early voting ended, City Clerk Kelly Michaels said.

A total of 9,032 completed absentee ballots had been filed with the city as of 5:45 p.m. Friday, while another 433 mailed ballots had not been returned.

To be counted, those mailed absentee ballots must be completed and postmarked no later than Election Day (Nov. 6) and received by the city clerk no later than 4 p.m. on the Friday after the election (Nov. 9), according to the state Governmental Accountability Board.

Get polling places, voting info and candidate bios on the Brookfield Patch Election Guide

Of the 9,032 early ballots received as of Friday, 6,851 were filled out in person at City Hall, making for some long lines this week and activity resembling Election Day polling sites.

Four years ago, a total of approximately 8,820 absentee ballots were cast, according to city records. For more on absentee voting, see Patch's previous reporting.

In the 2008 presidential race, Brookfield cast a total of about 25,000 votes, representing an 89 percent voter turnout, records show.