Riley Vetterkind, @email
MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Elections Commission today reminds voters to be ready for the fast-approaching General Election on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022. Here’s what voters should know:
1. Voters can check their registration status and find their polling place at MyVote.wi.gov. Voters who are planning to go to the polls on Tuesday should check the Wisconsin Elections Commission’s MyVote website, MyVote.wi.gov, to verify their registration, find their polling place and see what will be on their ballot.
2. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 8. Polling place hours are the same across Wisconsin, no matter where you live. Voters need to be in line by 8 p.m. in order to participate.
3. Those who have not registered to vote yet can still do so at their polling place on Election Day. Voters will need to provide proof of their residential address and an acceptable photo ID to vote.
4. Remember to bring your photo ID to your polling place. Wisconsin requires an acceptable photo ID to vote, such as a Wisconsin driver license, state ID card, U.S. passport, military or veteran’s ID, tribal ID, a certificate of naturalization, or some student IDs. Anyone with questions about photo ID can visit the state’s Bring It to the Ballot website (https://bringit.wi.gov/) or call 1-866-VOTE-WIS for information.
Those without an acceptable photo ID can get one for free at their local Division of Motor Vehicles office. For more information, call 608-266-1069.
An acceptable photo ID for voting does not need to show the voter’s current address. Proof of residence is established when you register to vote.
5. Voters can still return absentee ballots to clerks’ offices and polling places. Ballots must arrive at the polling place or central count facility by 8 p.m. for them to count. Unstaffed absentee drop boxes are no longer allowed in Wisconsin.
Most voters can return absentee ballots to their polling place on Election Day, although there are exceptions. Voters in 38 cities, villages and towns that count absentee ballots at a central location, such as the city of Milwaukee, must return ballots to their clerk’s office or the central count location. Some municipalities may restrict absentee ballot return to specific locations or the clerk’s office. Voters should check with their municipal clerk regarding absentee ballot return options.
A list of municipalities that count absentee ballots at central locations can be found here: https://elections.wi.gov/central-count-absentee-ballot-municipalities
Voters who return absentee ballots to their clerk’s office on Election Day should do so as early as possible because the ballot must be picked up and delivered to the polling place by 8 p.m.
Voters must personally deliver their own absentee ballot. At this time, the WEC does not recommend returning an absentee ballot by mail as it may not arrive by Election Day to be counted.
6. Voters with disabilities have additional options when returning their absentee ballot. Pursuant to the Voting Rights Act, any Wisconsin voter who requires assistance with mailing or delivering their absentee ballot to the municipal clerk because of a disability must be permitted to receive such assistance by a person of the voter’s choice, other than the voter’s employer or agent of that employer or officer or agent of the voter’s union. Contact your municipal clerk if you have questions.
7. On absentee ballots, both the voter’s address and witness’s address need to be clear and complete on the envelope into which the ballot is inserted. To ensure that your absentee ballot is counted, the WEC recommends voters pay close attention to the included instructions for completing and delivering your absentee ballot.
8. The rules about voiding your absentee ballot to vote a new one – a practice known as ballot spoiling – have also changed recently.
In short, once an absentee ballot has been returned to the municipal clerk, it cannot be spoiled and must be counted. If a voter makes a mistake on a ballot, or if it is damaged, and the ballot has not yet been returned to the clerk, the voter can spoil that ballot and receive a new one. Voters are advised to check with their municipal clerk for complete details on the ballot spoiling process.
At the polling place on Election Day, voters may also receive up to three ballots if they make a mistake or change their mind before placing their ballot into a tabulator, per Wis. Stat. § 6.80(2)(c).
9. To view a four-part video series on how elections administration works in Wisconsin, visit elections.wi.gov/101.