As early voting opened in Wisconsin on Tuesday, Republicans were once again encouraging their supporters to cast ballots ahead of Election Day.The reversal comes after former President Donald Trump attacked the method during the 2020 presidential election, making baseless claims that early voting, especially by mail, could be manipulated and used to commit fraud.This election cycle, the Wisconsin Republican Partys website encourages voters to take advantage of early in-person voting and voting by mail because it allows GOP organizers to narrow their focus to people who are less likely to vote.We need to avail ourselves of every imaginable way to get votes in, said Brian Schimming, chair of the Wisconsin Republican Party, in a press call on Monday.Republican U.S. Senate candidate Eric Hovde cast his in-person absentee ballot in the village of Shorewood Hills, near Madison, on Tuesday. Afterwards, he said that voting early has become commonplace and is a method Republicans should embrace.Its part of the election process now. I would encourage people to get out and vote early, Hovde said.Hovde and Republican National Committee chair Michael Whatley held three rallies across southern Wisconsin on Tuesday to boost early voting turnout. Meanwhile, former President Barack Obama and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on Tuesday rallied liberal voters in the Democratic stronghold of Madison.Related: 'Dont boo, vote': Obama, Walz rally for early voting in WisconsinRon Kuhn, a Hovde supporter who attended a rally in Sun Prairie, said hes choosing to vote on Election Day but that he has no issue with early voting.I personally try to vote on the day of the election, but early voting as long as a persons vote is counted and its right, thats what counts, Kuhn said.As of Tuesday, the Wisconsin Elections Commission reported that roughly 611,000 voters statewide had requested absentee ballots and more than 360,000 had already filled out and returned absentee ballots.Early voting runs through the Sunday before Election Day, but local clerks set the hours that early voting is available in their municipalities.Its about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for TMJ4 on your device.Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.Report a typo or error