In 2023, the Wisconsin Election Commission approved a new design for the "official absentee ballot certificate & application" (see https://www.wispolitics.com/2023/wisconsin-election-commission-absentee-envelopes-get-an-upgrade/), with the intent of making absentee voting a more user-friendly process. The new ballot certificate envelopes are color-coded according to type of voter. Brown certificates indicate that the voter is a member of the military or other overseas voter. Of note, Wisconsinites Abroad were concerned that the new certificate could present a barrier to overseas voters if WEC required printing in color (in spite of the protections of UOCAVA law, which state that a ballot cannot be rejected on the basis of size or color of printing), but we were assured by WEC that this would not be the case.
Local clerks should send the brown certificates to all overseas voters in the 2024 elections. We would like to know which certificate was included in YOUR ballot materials for the November election. Please fill out this survey and let us know whether you were provided a brown one or something else.
There is still time to send in a Backup Ballot, known as the FWAB, to ensure the safety of your vote. Learn all about the Backup Ballot here.