Many Wisconsinites take advantage of early voting - WAOW - Newsline 9, Wausau News, Weather, Sports

Many Wisconsinites take advantage of early voting. The Government Accountability Board says more than 225,000 state residents have requested absentee ballots.

In Wausau, the City Clerk, Toni Rayala, says 2739 people took advantage of early voting by Friday morning, "It has been very popular. By election day, we expect about 7000 will have done the early in-person vote or mailed in their absentee ballots."

Rayala says once the ballots are cast workers sort them out according to the Statewide Voter Registration System. They are put in boxes, according to which voting ward they will be delivered to on election day. Until then, Rayala says they will remain secured in her office, which no one else has keys to open the door."

Rayala laughingly added, "Not even the cleaning people can get in here at night. This weekend is carpet cleaning, I guess my office will miss it this time."

Plans call for the ballots to be delivered to polling places on election day. Election workers will run them through the voting machines, so they are counted,  along with all the other ballots cast that day.