Voting Guide 2024 Wisconsin
Wisconsin General Election
Election Day
Tuesday November 5
Registration Deadline
Election Day, Tuesday November 5 (in person)
October 16 (online, postmarked)
Automatic Voter Registration
NO
Election Day Registration
YES
How to Register to Vote
Register to Vote online: Must have WI Driver’s License or State of WI ID. No need to provide additional proof of residence in this case.
Register via mail, in clerk’s office, or at polling place election day: You will need to provide or show proof of residence. Download registration form.
Youth Pre-Registration
YES, if will be 18 on or before November 5. Use regular registration form.
Early Voting/Absentee-in-Person
YES.
Early Voting is done via Absentee-in-Person Voting
Voters should check their Early Voting (Absentee Vote-in-Person) options here.
Early Voting Dates
October 22 - November 3 (varies by municipality within these dates)
Municipal Election Clerks Directory or Find Election Officials with Vote411 or
Find Your Municipal Clerk (tool on left side panel of webpage). Early voting by appointment may be an option in some locations.
Early Voting Drop Boxes
NO, but THIS MAY CHANGE: issue being re-litigated with decision expected by end of June; if law does not change, note that drop boxes may exist from when they were allowed, but they should not be used.*
Early Voting Locations
Look up locations; Early Voting Locations by LWV
Absentee Ballot
YES. NO EXCUSE NEEDED.
Absentee Ballot Request
Include copy of Photo ID.
Request Absentee Ballot online. Can also request absentee ballot in person on clerk’s office, but clerk will either mail it to you or you can vote it then and there (you cannot walk out with it).
Deadline to Request: October 31
REQUEST EARLY TO RETURN ON TIME
Absentee Ballot Return
Returning Before Election Day: Return by mail or in person to municipal clerk.
Returning On Election Day: Return to municipal clerk (check clerk’s office hours!) or to polling place.**
Deadline to Return: Election Day by 8pm
How to Vote Absentee Ballot
Rules are specific, see endnote and WI Election Commission’s absentee ballot webpage for video tutorials.**
Sample Ballots
See What’s On Your Ballot lookup.
Election Day Vote In Person
Tuesday November 5, 7am - 8pm
Election Day Polling Places
Polling Place Electioneering
Buffer Zone: 100 feet from entrance to building that contains polling place.
Prohibited Activities: Posting or distributing campaign materials/signs/banners/literature and engaging in disruptive behavior.*** State law says nothing about political attire, buttons, stickers, etc., but municipalities may prohibit these. See, City of Beloit rules. See also, NCSL Electioneering Prohibitions.
Press Access to Polling Place
“Wisconsin is permissive of both the press and the public having access to the polling locations, so long as they are not disruptive of the proceedings. Wis. Stat. § 7.41 , Wisconsin Election Day Manual for Election Officials from the Wisconsin Elections Commission (Election Day Manual) 86 . The chief inspector or municipal clerk may designate separate observation areas, provided those areas still provide a clear view of the proceedings. Wis. Stat. § 7.41(2).
Poll Worker Info
Employers are required to allow unpaid time off for workers to volunteer as election inspectors or other election officials. See WI Election Commission FAQ.
Photo ID
YES, REQUIRED.
See Vote411 for long list of accepted IDs. See also, Bring It Wisconsin.
Provisional Ballots
YES, see WI Elections Commission’s webpage on provisional ballots.***
Provide info to poll worker by 8pm on Election Day or to municipal clerk by 4pm on Friday November 8
Tracking
Ballot Measures
No citizen initiative process. Ballot measures are only by legislative referral.
CHECK BACK FOR 2024 GENERAL ELECTION BALLOT MEASURES
College Students
Vote in WI: Must be resident of WI for 28 days prior to election.
Campus address can be used to show WI residency. Can use college ID to prove residency IF includes a photo and IF voter provides fee receipt dated within last 9 months (or school provides certified housing list to municipal clerk). See WI Guide to Student Residency for rules that make it a little easier for students to prove WI residency.
Vote in Home State: Vote absentee ballot, if allowed. See Vote411, your state election website, or another voter info site for your state’s rules.
People with Felony Convictions
YES
Allowed to vote once sentence completed (including extended supervision, probation, or parole, also known as being “on paper”).
Restoration of right to vote is automatic, but will have to register to vote (again if had been registered prior to incarceration). More info.
Time Off to Vote
YES
3 hours off to vote, employer may deduct pay for time not worked; specifics here.
Helpful Websites
WI Voter Information Center, Rock the Vote WI; Elections 101
Photo Credit: Chris Boese
Footnotes
*Drop Boxes
Priorities USA v. Wisconsin Elections Commission (2024) challenges constitutionality of restrictions on drop boxes, previously upheld in Teigen v. Wisconsin Elections Commissions (2022). Priorities USA was heard by now-liberal Wisconsin Supreme Court in May. Decision by end of June.
**How to Vote Absentee
1) Fill out your ballot in presence of a witness (but OK to keep how your voting confidential), 2) place it in envelope provided and seal envelope, 3) sign Certification of Voter section on envelope in presence of witness, 4) if your address doesn’t appear on the envelope, write it on the envelope, 5) have witness sign and address Certification of Witness section on envelope (if witness’s address same as voter’s, still need to write the address); witness can be any U.S. citizen at least 18 years old, does not need to be Wisconsin resident, 6) mail ballot in return envelop or drop it off at clerk’s office or to polling place if returning on Election Day. See Wisconsin Elections Commission’s absentee ballot webpage with video tutorials on how to fill out the ballot and envelope and where to return it. Also see, Instructions from Vote.org.
Note 1: Voters may vote in person instead of absentee even if voter has already received their absentee ballot. Discard absentee ballot.
Note 2: 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.
****Electioneering Near or At Polling Place
According to WI Statute § 12.03, “Electioneering” is any activity which is intended to influence voting in an election. Disruptive behavior is also prohibited. Elections inspectors determine whether an activity is considered electioneering and whether voter activity is disruptive. See, League of Wisconsin Municipalities. There seems to be a consensus from voter protection organizations that electioneering includes t-shirts, buttons, etc. are prohibited at polling places and within buffer zones. I have found very little to support this, but it is likely most poll workers (election inspectors) will interpret it so and ultimately it is up to them. Better safe than risk being kicked out of your polling place (especially don’t want to risk being kicked out before you vote, this election is too important!).
However, also note that bumper stickers on cars parked near polling places are specifically allowed in the statute (as long as not excessive so as to turn the car into an ad for/against a political candidate. WI Statute 12.03 and 12.035.
Note that in Wisconsin, poll workers are called “election inspectors” and report to the municipal clerk.
***Provisional Ballots
Voters may vote provisional ballots in the following cases:
A registered voter is unable or unwilling to provide proof of identification.
Qualified voter who has current, valid WI driver's license registers to vote at polling place on election day, but cannot list the driver's license number on the registration
First-time WI voter who registered by mail before April 4, 2014, but did not provide ID establishing proof of residence at the time they submitted the registration form and is unable to provide proof of residence at polling place.
Note: Provisional ballots are not given if: 1) voter in wrong polling place or 2) when attempting to register in person at the polling place but does not provide proof of residence.
****College Students
Although a few states still require an excuse to use a mail absentee ballot, all states include as one of their qualified excuses simply that you will be out of county or state on election day, which would apply to most college students residing away from home. Some states specify being a college student as one of the qualified excuses, as well. See, No-Excuse Absentee Voting States and Excuse Required Absentee Voting States.
Being deemed out-of-state for tuition purposes does not prevent you from choosing to register to vote in your campus community. Fair Elections Center – Wisconsin
Being registered to vote at a different address from your parents does not prevent them from claiming you as a dependent on their taxes.
More info at Fair Elections Center and Fair Elections Center State Voting Guides. See Vote411, your home state or county election website, or another voter info site for your state’s rules.