Military and Overseas Voters
Effective November 2, 2010, the following election materials must be sent via electronic means (fax/email), if requested by a military or overseas voter:
- Voter Registration Application (EL-131)
- Application for Absentee Ballot (EL-121)
- Absentee Ballots
The electronic tracking of the receipt of military and overseas absentee ballots is required by Federal Law. Municipal clerks are also required to add electronic (fax and/or email) contact information to all materials sent to military and overseas electors.
Materials
Uniform Absentee Ballot Instructions
Federal Post Card Application This is an external link to the Federal Voting Assistance Program website.
The Facts about Military and Overseas Voting in Wisconsin
The State of Wisconsin is nationally-recognized for its long history of ensuring military and overseas voters can participate in Wisconsin general elections. This is in spite of the challenge posed by Wisconsin being one of 10 states with a primary election after Labor Day. Wisconsin’s military voters who are stationed in faraway places around the globe protecting our freedom need enough time to request, receive, vote and return their ballots. This is particularly true for military personnel serving in armed conflict, remote locations, in foxholes on active battlegrounds or on submarines. Overseas citizens living in faraway places also face a similar challenge.
Local Candidates
Candidates for local offices should work with the filing officer for that office to ensure they are meeting all the requirements to get on the ballot.
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County Office |
County Clerk |
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Municipal Office |
Municipal Clerk |
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School Board |
School District Clerk |
The minimum qualifications to hold an office are:
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United States Citizenship
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At least 18 years of age (or older for certain offices)
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Satisfy residency requirement for specific office
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May not have been convicted of a felony in any court in the United States unless pardoned of the conviction.
Also, a candidate may not be disqualified by virtue of one or more of the impediments described in s 6.03, Wis. Stats.
These local offices are considered partisan which means that the candidate runs as a representative of a political party.
- Sheriff
- County Clerk
- County Treasurer
- Clerk of Circuit Court
- Coroner
- Register of Deeds
These offices are non-partisan which means the candidate does not run as a member of a political party.
- County Executive
- County Supervisor
- Municipal Offices (including mayor, alderperson, trustee, supervisor, municipal clerk and treasurer, constable, municipal judge, assessor)
- Multi-Jurisdictional Municipal Judge
- School District Candidates
- Special District Candidates
Required Documents to get on the Ballot
The CF-1L Local Candidate Registration Statement is available from Wisconsin Ethics Commission.
Note: A county may enact an ordinance establishing a code of ethics for public officials that may require a candidate for county office to file a Statement of Economic Interests (SEI). Please contact the county clerk to find out if this requirement applies.
The CF-1L Local Candidate Registration Statement is available from Wisconsin Ethics Commission.
Note: A municipality may enact an ordinance establishing a code of ethics for public officials that may require a candidate for municipal office, in addition to the office of municipal judge, to file a Statement of Economic Interests (SEI). Please contact the municipal clerk to find out if this requirement applies.
The CF-1L Local Candidate Registration Statement and Statement of Economic Interests (SEI) are available from Wisconsin Ethics Commission.
There are important residency requirements for local candidates. The requirements for each office are listed here.
Qualified elector of district at the time of filing nomination papers. Wis. Stat. § 59.20(1).
A qualified elector of the county at the time of filing nomination papers. Wis. Stat. § 59.20(1).
A qualified elector of the city and, if aldermanic district, a qualified elector* of the district and actually residing in the district at the time of election. Wis. Stat. §.62.09(2)(a).
A qualified elector of the city and an actual resident of the city at the time of election. Wis. Stat. § 62.09(2)(a).
A qualified elector of the jurisdiction at the time of election or appointment, Wis. Const. art. VII §10(1).
Village office: A qualified elector and an actual resident of the village at the time of election. Wis. Stat. § 61.19
A qualified elector of the town at the time of taking office, except an assessor who is appointed under Wis. Stat. § 60.307. Wis. Stat. § 60.30(2).
At-Large Office: A qualified elector of the school district at the time of filing a Declaration of Candidacy. Wis. Stat. §§ 120.06(2), (6)(b)2.
Representative of an Apportioned Area: A qualified elector of the school district at the time of filing a Declaration of Candidacy and a resident of the apportioned area at the time of taking office (4th Monday in April). Wis. Stat. §§ 120.05(1)(d), 120.06(2), (4).
Registered Write-In Candidates
To register as a write-in candidate, you must file a CF-1L Local Candidate Registration Statement with the filing officer prior to collecting or spending any money on the campaign. The CF-1L form is available from the Wisconsin Ethics Commission or the local filing officer. The deadline to register as a write-in candidate is 12:00 p.m. (noon) the Friday before the election.
Managing Absentee Ballot Requests
Processes on how clerks should manage absentee ballot requests (absentee applications) from voters is covered below.
Uniform Absentee Instructions
The uniform instructions for absentee voting for Military, Overseas and Regular voters have been consolidated into a single document. There is now one uniform instructions document for all voter types. The instructions were updated on September 2016 with a reminder to the voter to return the entire ballot.
Any qualified elector. A qualified elector is a United States citizen, 18 years of age or older, who has resided in the district in which he or she intends to vote for at least 28 consecutive days. The elector must be registered in order to receive an absentee ballot.
Note: Military voters are not required to register (submit an EL-131) in order to vote.
The request is made to the municipal clerk in writing or electronically using the Application for Absentee Ballot (EL-121), or a letter requesting an absentee ballot which provides the information required on the application form.
Military and Overseas electors may also use the Federal Postcard Application (FPCA), which is a combination registration form and absentee ballot request.
By mail: The request must be in the office of the municipal clerk no later than 5:00 p.m. on the *5th day preceding an election.
In-person at the clerk's office: The last possible day for a clerk to conduct in-person absentee voting is the Sunday before the election. Each municipal clerk's office sets its own schedule for in-person absentee voting.
Note: A person cannot request an absentee ballot in person and leave the clerk's office with the ballot. The ballot is either voted in the clerk's office, or the clerk must mail the ballot to the elector.
- *The deadline for indefinitely confined electors and military electors (not-away) to request an absentee ballot is the 4th day before the election.
- *For a federal election, the deadline for military electors who are away from their residence due to active duty to request an absentee ballot is 5:00 p.m. on election day.
- *Special provisions are made for hospitalized electors and sequestered jurors to request and vote by absentee ballot on election day. Wis. Stat. §§ 6.86(1)(b),(3)(a).
An absentee ballot must be sent by the following dates to any voter with an absentee application on file.
- 47 days before a federal election
- 21 days before a primary or other election. Wis. Stat. § 7.15(1))(cm).
- When a request for an absentee ballot is made by mail, the absentee ballot must be mailed to the elector within one day of the request.
Voters requesting an absentee ballot in person must cast the ballot in the clerk's office. Voters cannot take the absentee ballot out of the clerk's office.
Special provisions are made for issuing absentee ballots to residents of a nursing home, qualifying retirement homes and community-based residential facilities. See our manual Absentee Voting in Residential Care Facilities and Retirement Homes.
- Document on an absentee voting log: the date of receipt of the application, the name and address of the person making the request, the date the absentee ballot was sent to the elector, and any other pertinent information.
- Initial the ballot at the "Absentee ballot issued by" line in the endorsement section.
- Place absentee voting instructions, an Absentee Certificate envelope, and the absentee ballot inside a mailing envelope addressed to the requesting elector. The elector returns the voted absentee ballot to the clerk's office in the Absentee Certificate envelope that is postage pre-paid when mailed within the United States.
- When the voted absentee ballot is received by the clerk, enter the date of receipt on the absentee voting log.
- Check the Absentee Certificate envelope to be sure that the voter has properly completed and signed the certificate and that it has been properly witnessed. If not, and time permits, make an effort to contact the elector and make arrangements for correcting the problem, whenever possible.
- The Absentee Certificate envelope containing the elector's voted ballot should be placed in a carrier envelope and kept in a secure place in the clerk's office until election day. On election day, the clerk delivers the carrier envelope containing all absentee ballots received to the proper polling place before the polls close at 8:00 p.m. This also includes any absentee ballots received by the clerk on election day.
- Any voter may request absentee ballots for all elections in a calendar year.
- Military voters are entitled to vote for all offices. Wis. Stat. § 6.22.
- Permanent Overseas voters are United States citizens who have chosen to reside overseas with no present intent to return. Permanent Overseas voters are entitled to vote for federal offices only. Wis. Stat. § 6.24.
Any military, permanent overseas, or temporarily overseas voter can request an absentee ballot to be sent to them by fax or email. If you receive a request from a voter who would like to receive their ballot by email or fax, follow these instructions when sending the voter their ballot.
Request
- Review the request for an absentee ballot from a qualified elector. The absentee application request may be on the form prescribed by the Wisconsin Elections Commission (Application for Absentee Ballot EL-121), the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA), or may be in the form of a letter, email or fax that contains the information needed for an absentee ballot request. Remember, the request needs to be in writing, but email and fax requests do not need to include the voter’s signature. Voters can also submit their request through the My Vote Wisconsin website: myvote.wi.gov. You will receive an email notification when the voter makes their request through MyVote.
- Military and permanent overseas voters do not need to provide a photo ID with their request. Temporarily overseas voters must provide a photo ID with their absentee ballot request.
- After determining that the elector is qualified to receive an emailed or faxed absentee ballot, the municipal clerk may fax or e-mail the ballot to the elector.
Faxing
- Review the request for an absentee ballot from a qualified elector. The absentee application request may be on the form prescribed by the Wisconsin Elections Commission (Application for Absentee Ballot EL-121), the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA), or may be in the form of a letter, email or fax that contains the information needed for an absentee ballot request. Remember, the request needs to be in writing, but email and fax requests do not need to include the voter’s signature. Voters can also submit their request through the My Vote Wisconsin website: myvote.wi.gov. You will receive an email notification when the voter makes their request through MyVote.
- Military and permanent overseas voters do not need to provide a photo ID with their request. Temporarily overseas voters must provide a photo ID with their absentee ballot request.
- After determining that the elector is qualified to receive an emailed or faxed absentee ballot, the municipal clerk may fax or e-mail the ballot to the elector.
Emailing
- The municipal clerk should print their initials in the endorsement section of the ballot and on the face of the ballot and scan the initialed ballot. If you do not have access to a scanner, work with your county or the WEC to determine an alternate way of initialing the ballot before sending it via email
- Email the initialed ballot and the Absentee Ballot Certificate along with the Uniform Instructions for Absentee Voters.
- The elector should be instructed to print the ballot, vote the ballot in the presence of a witness, fold the ballot and seal it inside a regular, non-window envelope, complete and sign the absentee certificate. An adult witness must sign and provide their address on the certificate. Military or permanent overseas voters should provide their birthdate. The certificate should be affixed (with glue or tape) to the envelope containing the voted ballot. The envelope with the certificate attached should be placed into another, larger, envelope, sealed and mailed to the municipal clerk. The ballot must be received by 8 p.m. on Election Day.
Return
- The absentee elector must return the hard copy of the ballot and the completed certificate to the municipal clerk in time so that the clerk can deliver the ballot to the polling place before the close of the polls.
- The elector may choose overnight delivery to assure that their ballot arrives on time. The municipal clerk is not responsible for return postage of a faxed or e-mailed absentee ballot. Some overseas voters may not have access to public mail services. These electors may choose to select a private mail carrier (such as UPS, FedEx, DHS, etc.) to return their ballot.
- The USPS recommends that ballots be mailed one week prior to the date of the Election to arrive on time.
Documentation
- The absentee elector must return the hard copy of the ballot and the completed certificate to the municipal clerk in time so that the clerk can deliver the ballot to the polling place before the close of the polls.
- The elector may choose overnight delivery to assure that their ballot arrives on time. The municipal clerk is not responsible for return postage of a faxed or e-mailed absentee ballot. Some overseas voters may not have access to public mail services. These electors may choose to select a private mail carrier (such as UPS, FedEx, DHS, etc.) to return their ballot.
- The USPS recommends that ballots be mailed one week prior to the date of the Election to arrive on time.
New Clerk Checklist
- The training term for municipal clerks is established by state law and begins on January 1 of an even-numbered year and runs through December 31 of an odd-numbered year. All election officials operate in the same training term.
- New Municipal Clerks must take the 3-hour municipal clerk core training class in their current term in office, regardless if there are any scheduled elections for the remainder of the training term.
- Clerks must take and report a minimum of six hours of election training each 2-year term. MCT Core counts for three of the six hours.
- Clerks must report their election training to the Commission either using the prescribed reporting form linked below or by entering the training into the WisVote system for staff review and approval.
| Task to Complete | Details |
|---|---|
| Report Clerk Contact Updates to the WEC | If any clerk contact information has changed, complete the Clerk Contact Information form and submit it to the WEC HelpDesk at @email. If this information is not up to date, it will reflect incorrectly on MyVote and clerks may not receive important information from the WEC. |
Take and report the 3-hour Municipal Clerk Core Training | MCT Core is available online in the WEC Learning Center. Clerks must contact the Elections Help Desk to obtain a user name and password for the Learning Center and instructions to access the MCT Core presentation. Please fill out and submit the Request to add Authorized-Users to TLC (EL-365-365ci) to the Help Desk. Clerks need to report all of their election training to the Commission each term using the MCT Certification Form. |
| If required, take WisVote Training | If you are unsure, verify with your county clerk if they provide your municipality with WisVote election system services. You may be a relier on the county, a self-provider municipality or some combination of the two types of users. WisVote training is available online in the WEC Learning Center. Training for full access is approximately 10 hours in length. Training for data entry only is approximately 2 hours in length. |
| Security Awareness Training is required of all WisVote users and recommended for all municipal clerks | Security Awareness Training is available in the WEC Learning Center and consists of seven videos which run about 1.5 hours. Security topics include phishing facts and password protocols |
Check for election worker training documentation | Chief inspectors are required to take a minimum of six hours of election training each 2-year term. For new chief inspectors, three of the six hours must be the Baseline Chief Inspector training class. Training can be taken in-person (as available), or online in the WEC Learning Center. Regular election inspectors are required to take some type of election training, but state law does not prescribe an hourly requirement or curriculum. Clerks track the training taken by their election workers. |
| Check for election worker coverage for upcoming elections | Determine if you have sufficient election worker coverage for the upcoming elections. If you do not, please refer to Election Worker Recruitment for suggestions and best practices. |
Check for current versions of Election Day and Election Administration Manual
| The Election Day Manual (revised September 2020) is issued to new chief inspectors when they take the Baseline class and should be available at the polling place on Election Day. The manual covers the election day duties of chief inspectors, poll workers and other election officials. The Election Administration Manual (revised September 2020) is issued to new municipal clerks when they take the MCT Core class and covers their duties before, during and after an election. The WEC also has several subject-specific manuals, such as Absentee Voting in Residential Care Facilities, Recalls for Local Elected Officials and Counting Votes available on the agency website. |
Review the “Calendar of Election Events” on the WEC website | The Calendar of Election Events is a valuable tool for election officials to reference throughout the election cycle. The calendar is available in multiple formats and instructions for importing the Excel calendar into a Microsoft Outlook calendar are posted with it. |
Check Recent Clerk Communications for the latest updates and news from the Commission | This page contains recent communications from the WEC to Wisconsin’s county and municipal clerks. The list is categorized as high priority, timely attention required, scheduled tasks and information only communications. Clerks receive email reminders to check the site periodically for updates. |
| Review the election administration and WisVote webinar schedules | The first webinar will be “New Clerk Orientation” in September. Webinar recordings and related materials are posted on the Learning Center (TLC) for clerks to use at their convenience. |
| Check if your municipality uses Badger Books | If your municipality uses Badger Books, please contact the Badger Book Team at @email for more information on training and other resources before your first election. |
Election Security & Integrity
Wisconsin’s election systems are secure thanks to the Wisconsin Elections Commission’s strong partnerships with federal and state agencies and local election officials.
In October 2016 the WEC published its first manual for clerks regarding contingency planning and election security. Since then, the WEC has been developing extensive plans for Election Security Preparation and Incident Prevention, Election Security Incident Response, and Election Security Communications.
The Commission has found no evidence that Wisconsin’s election systems have ever been compromised.
Election Security Report
The Wisconsin Elections Commission has worked to examine all aspects of security in relation to Wisconsin’s election administration technology and laws and drafted comprehensive plans to document the coordination between the WEC and other election security partners. The plans exist to detail the WEC’s election security preparation and steps WEC staff will pursue in the future to continue to keep Wisconsin’s elections secure.
wi.gov and .gov Email Domains
The WEC and the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) recommend that municipal and county government emails, especially those used for election related information, should be easily identifiable as government entities. WEC is assisting municipalities in obtaining wi.gov and .gov email domains to increase election security and trust in their official election communications.
Election Integrity
The Wisconsin Elections Commission takes any allegation of election misconduct seriously, whether it is by candidates, voters, political parties, or other groups seeking to influence the outcome of elections. As part of its mission to ensure the integrity of individual ballots as well as election results in Wisconsin, the Commission continues its commitment to working with municipal and county election officials and local and statewide law enforcement agencies to prevent errors and opportunities for voter fraud and to detect and prosecute cases of illegal voting which may occur.
Election Security Subgrants
The Wisconsin Elections Commission will authorize Election Security Subgrants to local jurisdictions when state or federal grant funds are awarded and the Commission has approved a plan for their disbursement. All information related to available subgrants will be linked here.
Election Results
When will I see Official Election Results?
Local Election Results
Local election results are maintained by the municipal election officials. To find election results for local offices such as mayor, sheriff, school board, county or or town supervisor, please check with the appropriate county or municipal clerk.
Wisconsin does not have a statewide system for reporting unofficial results on Election Night, and there is no central official website or feed where results are reported. State law requires that counties post the unofficial election night numbers for each polling place. The unofficial statewide and county results numbers that the public sees on Election Night and the days thereafter come from the news media, including the Associated Press, which collects them from the 72 county clerks’ websites.
State and Federal Official Results
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Official results of the August 9, 2022 Partisan Primary for Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, State Treasurer, U.S. Senator, Representative in Congress, State Senator (odd-numbered districts) Representatives to the Assembly (all districts). Official results for county...
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Official results of the April 5, 2022 Spring Election, which was certified on May 13, 2022.
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Official results of the July 13, 2021, Special Election for State Assembly District 37, certified July 23, 2021.
Statistics & Data
About our Statistics
The Wisconsin Elections Commission produces statistics on voter turnout and the number of registered voters. Additionally, the Commission produces reports of statistics prepared and reported by municipalities about elections, formerly known as the EL-190.
Statistics on statewide voter registration prior to the 2008 presidential election are not available. It was not until recent years that Wisconsin developed its Statewide Voter Registration System, now known as WisVote. Prior to implementation of SVRS in 2006, not all municipalities were required to maintain voter registration lists. Requests for WisVote data such as voter lists should be made using the Badger Voters website.
Looking for Election Results?
Official, certified election results are posted a few weeks after Election Day. Local election results are posted by the county clerks on election night.
1,922 In Wisconsin, elections are conducted at neither the state nor county level. Arguably, Wisconsin has the most decentralized elections administration systems in the nation. There are 1,850 municipalities and 72 counties in Wisconsin
Personally Identifiable Information
Some information about voters is considered confidential, and can only be shared for law enforcement purposes, or official purposes of other government entities. As outlined in Wis. Stat. §6.36(1)(b), certain information cannot be released to the public, which includes:
• Date of birth
• Driver license or DOT-issued identification number
• Social Security Account Number
• The name or address of a confidential voter (see Wis. Stat. §6.47(3))
• An indication of a required accommodation to vote
Wisconsin Elections
Important Note Regarding 2024 General Election Candidate Tracking Documents
Due to the recent passage of 2023 Wisconsin Act 94 creating new legislative district maps, there are important considerations to keep in mind when reviewing the 2024 candidate tracking documents.
Wisconsin’s elections are highly decentralized, with elections conducted at the local level by over 1,900 local election officials in 72 counties and 1,851 municipalities. Municipal clerks in Wisconsin's towns, villages, and cities and the Board of Election Commissioners in the City of Milwaukee, are responsible for establishing polling places, acquiring voting equipment, recruiting and training poll workers, maintaining voter lists, administering absentee voting, and supervising the conduct of elections on Election Day.
Elections are administered at the state level by the Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC). The WEC is responsible for the administrative oversight of federal and state election laws including establishing uniform standards and training local election officials.
Election Results
Official statewide and federal results take time to be collected and certified. Once they are certified, the official results are posted.
Poll Workers & Observers
Wisconsin’s elections are highly decentralized, with elections conducted at the local level by over 1,900 local election officials in 72 counties and 1,851 municipalities. Poll Workers perform a very important public service by enhancing the high quality and integrity of Wisconsin's elections. Observers are an important part of Wisconsin's open and transparent elections process.
