Do not be shocked if you vote absentee next year and your envelope looks a little different and even comes in a different color.

The Wisconsin Elections Commission recently approved new designs for the absentee voting envelopes and designated different colors depending on your group. Door County Clerk Jill Lau says the redesign has been in the works for a few years as the WEC gathered feedback for the possible changes. The new design aims to make it easier for voters to read and complete the envelopes with a three-step process for them to follow. The envelopes will be color coded so they can be easily identified when going through the mail with blue designated for outgoing mail going from clerks to voters, purple for return envelopes to be mailed in, teal for return envelopes from care facilities, and brown for return envelopes for military and overseas voters. Lau does not expect the new envelopes to make her life easier or harder as a municipal clerk but believes it will make a difference for voters.

Lau says the number one thing missed by absentee voters is the witness signature line on the ballot envelope, which requires election workers to track down people to fix the error. The new envelopes will be in circulation in time for the February 2024 primary.