Reid Magney, public information officer, 608-267-7887 or @email
MADISON, WI – The Wisconsin Elections Commission reminds voters to bring an acceptable photo ID when they go to the polls for the Spring Election on Tuesday, April 2, 2019.
“Most people already have the ID they need to vote,” said Meagan Wolfe, Wisconsin’s chief election official. “If you don’t have a photo ID, you still have time to get a free one at the DMV, but you should not wait.”
Acceptable photo IDs for voting include a Wisconsin driver license or Wisconsin state ID card, Veterans Health Administration ID card, military ID card, U.S. passport, tribal ID card and some student ID cards. A full list is available at BringIt.WI.gov.
If you do not have all the paperwork you need to get a free state ID card, such as a birth certificate, the DMV will still help you get a temporary document that you can use for voting, Wolfe said.
Wolfe reminds voters that the address on their photo ID does not have to match the address on the poll book. “When you show your ID, you are proving your identity, not where you live,” she said. “Voters only have to prove where they live when they register to vote.”
What’s on the ballot?
To find out what’s on your ballot, visit the My Vote Wisconsin website: https://MyVote.WI.gov.
All voters will have the opportunity to elect a Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice in the Spring Election. Voters in Wisconsin Court of Appeals Districts 2, 3 and 4 will have uncontested races for judge. There are also elections for 29 circuit court judges in 15 counties, three of which are contested races (Milwaukee County Branch 40, Ozaukee County Branch 2 and Racine County Branch 7).
Most voters will also have local elections for school board members and for municipal offices including mayors, village board presidents and town chairs; city alderpersons, village board trustees and town supervisors; and city, village and clerks or clerk/treasurers. In all, more than 10,200 local offices are up for election across the state.
There are also 87 local referenda questions on the ballot across Wisconsin, including binding questions about exceeding school revenue caps and bonds, as well as advisory questions including all-terrain vehicles, marijuana legalization and redistricting.
Finally, voters in Assembly District 64 in parts of Kenosha and Racine counties will find partisan primaries to nominate candidates for a special election on April 30.
Lists of all the candidates and referenda for this election are available on the WEC website: https://elections.wi.gov/elections-voting/2019/spring.
How do I register to vote or check my voter registration?
In Wisconsin, voters can register at the polling place on Election Day. However, Wolfe reminds voters that if they plan to register for the first time or update their registration with a change of name or address at the polls on Election Day, they must bring a proof of residence document like a utility bill showing the voter’s current name and address.
“Election Day registration ensures that everyone who is qualified to vote will get to vote,” said Wolfe, interim administrator of the WEC. “However, you must bring a current proof of residence document to register on Election Day.”
Acceptable proof of residence documents also include a lease, bank statement, cell phone bill or other official government documents, and can be shown on paper or displayed on an electronic device like a smartphone or tablet.
A list of acceptable documents is available at https://elections.wi.gov/publications/voter-guides/proof-of-residence. Before Election Day, you must have lived at your current address for at least 10 days to be eligible to vote, but the proof of residence document does not need to be 10 days old.
You can also register to vote before Election Day. Registration in your municipal clerk’s office takes place until 5 p.m. on the Friday before the election (March 29, 2019). Remember, you will still need to bring your proof of residence document to register.
Online voter registration is now closed, but voters on the state’s MyVote Wisconsin website https://MyVote.WI.gov can check their registration status. Online registration reopens after the election.
Where do I vote?
The easiest and most reliable way to find your polling place is to visit MyVote Wisconsin: https://MyVote.WI.gov/en-US/FindMyPollingPlace. While it is likely you will vote at the same polling place as November 2018, it is also possible there have been changes. Checking MyVote before Election Day will ensure there will be no surprises, and you can even get map directions to your polling place.
When and where can I vote absentee?
Thursday, March 28 is the last day for most voters to request an absentee ballot from their municipal clerk’s office. Friday, March 29 is the last day for voters who are indefinitely confined to their homes due to age, illness, disability or infirmity to request an absentee ballot. Finally, Tuesday, April 2 at 5 p.m. is the deadline for clerks to issue absentee ballots to hospitalized voters.
Wolfe urged voters who are thinking about requesting an absentee ballot not to wait until the legal deadlines for doing so to ensure ample time for the post office to deliver and return them in time to be counted. Absentee ballots must be returned to the municipal clerk’s office by Election Day in time for the clerk to send the ballot to the polling place.
Many municipal clerks offer in-person absentee voting (also known as early voting) in their offices during regular business hours up until the Friday before the election, March 29. Some larger cities offer in-person absentee voting at satellite locations including public libraries before the election, including the weekend before the election. Some smaller municipalities offer in-person absentee voting by appointment only. For the schedule in your city, village or town, call your municipal clerk’s office. Visit https://MyVote.WI.gov/en-US/MyMunicipalClerk to find your clerk’s contact information.