It’s Election Day in Wisconsin.
On the ballot for everyone will be races for the Wisconsin Supreme Court and County Board, though county board races in the Northwoods are largely uncontested.
People may also see elections for school board, town board, city council, mayor, or local referendums.
Voters can see what’s on their ballot on the My Vote Wisconsin website. That’s also where you can find your local clerk’s information, polling place, and check voter registration status.
Polls are open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Registration and Voting Requirements
- Eligible voters may register at their polling place on Election Day.
- To register, voters must provide proof of residence showing their current name and address. Acceptable documents include: a utility bill, bank statement, Wisconsin driver’s license or state ID.
- A valid photo ID is required to vote. An acceptable photo ID does not need to feature a current address. However, when registering to vote, documentation with a current address is required.
Acceptable IDs include: a Wisconsin driver’s license or ID card, U.S. passport, Military, veteran, or tribal ID, and certain student IDs.
Absentee voting
If you got an absentee ballot that you plan on returning, it’s now too late to do so by mail.
“We advise that if you still have your ballot, voters should check with their municipal clerk about where they can return their ballot, which may require you to drop it off at your polling place, at the clerk's office or at a central processing facility,” said Wisconsin Elections Commission Administrator Megan Wolfe. “All absentee ballots must arrive by 8pm on election day in order to be counted.”
In-person absentee voting ended April 5.
Voting as usual
Elections have been in the news a fair bit lately with Congress considering the SAVE Act and President Donald Trump signing an executive order related to mail-in voting.
Wolfe said they will not create any changes for this election.
“When voters head to the polls on April 7, they should know that nothing has changed. The same processes that you've used to vote in the last number of years are still in place,” said Wolfe.
Election results
There is no centralized results site in Wisconsin. Each county posts results.
“It can take a while for some cities or larger jurisdictions who post their unofficial results, particularly in larger cities that have a lot of absentee ballots to process, such as Milwaukee, Green Bay, Racine, Kenosha,” said Wolfe. “Election officials are always going to prioritize accuracy over speed, so please be patient with election officials as they compile their unofficial result.”
Locally, some counties will update results as cities and towns share their results. Others will wait until all results are in before posting.
Results are unofficial until certified by the state.
