Voters Wanting Absentee Ballot Must be Registered by March 18th

If you want to vote in the April 7th Spring Election without having to go to the polls, Wednesday, March 18th is a key deadline.

The date marks the cutoff to register to vote online or via the mail. Unregistered voters or voters needing to change their address will still be able to register in person after the 18th, but will not be able to request an absentee ballot via the state’s My Vote WI website.

Voters with valid registrations (check your status on the state’s website) have longer, until April 2nd, to request an absentee ballot be mailed to them. Ballots must be received back by April 7th under state law, so requesting an absentee ballot in advance of April 2nd is recommended.

“First are foremost, we want residents to assert their constitutional right to vote,” said Mayor Tom Barrett in a Sunday afternoon press conference. “I think the real key here is to have more people vote absentee.”

In multiple conference calls with the media this week, Governor Tony Evers has said there is no plan to postpone the election given the number of races on the ballot: for Milwaukeeans, in addition to the Presidential Primary contest, there are elections for the Wisconsin Supreme Court, mayor, county executive, Circuit Court, Common Council, and Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors, in addition to a referendum question regarding funding for Milwaukee Public Schools.

If you’re not comfortable voting by mail, early voting is underway at three sites in the City of Milwaukee. Milwaukee residents may go to any site, regardless of the location of their residence.

Voters can cast ballots and register from 8 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. at either the Zeidler Municipal Building (841 N. Broadway), Midtown Center (5700 W. Capitol Dr.) or Zablocki Library (3501 W. Oklahoma Ave.). Weekend voting starts Saturday, March 28th and runs from 10 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sundays through the end of early voting.

Early voting ends April 5th, but the ability to register in-person cuts off on April 3rd by state law.

In-person registration is allowed in Wisconsin on the day of the election.

Looking for Cash?

The City of Milwaukee is urgently in need of poll workers to work on April 7th. The one-day job pays $130 and includes a paid training session in the weeks leading up to the election.

Over 50 percent of the 1,800 poll workers are over the age 60 and city officials would like them not to work during the April election. For more information, see our coverage from Sunday.