Last Minute Reminders for the Spring Election

MADISON, WI – The Wisconsin Elections Commission today reminds voters to be ready for the Spring Election on Tuesday, April 6, 2021.

Voters can check their registration and find their polling place on the mobile-friendly MyVote Wisconsin website.

Voters who are planning to go to the polls on Tuesday should check the Wisconsin Elections Commission’s popular MyVote Wisconsin website, https://myvote.wi.gov, to verify their registration, find their polling place and see what will be on their ballot.

“Double-checking your registration and your polling place location is a great way to avoid surprises,” said Meagan Wolfe, Wisconsin’s chief election official. “While you’re on the website, don’t forget to see what elections and referendums may be on your ballot.”

“If you’re not registered at your current address, you can find your new polling place and make sure you have the correct documents to register on Election Day,” Wolfe said.

Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, April 6.

“No matter where you vote in Wisconsin, the hours are the same,” Wolfe said. “You just need to be in line by 8 p.m.”

Voters can still return absentee ballots to clerks’ offices, drop boxes and polling places.

Wolfe advised voters who requested absentee ballots by mail but haven’t returned them yet to return them directly now that it is too late to mail them. The deadline for returning ballots is 8 p.m. on Election Day.”

“Please follow the instructions that came in the envelope with your absentee ballot,” Wolfe said. “Most voters can return absentee ballots to their polling place on Election Day.  Voters in 39 cities, villages or towns that count absentee ballots at a central location must return ballots to their clerk’s office or the central count location.  Please follow the return instructions that came with your absentee ballot.  Voters who return absentee ballots to their clerk’s office or a municipal drop box 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.

Face coverings are still recommended for voting on Election Day but are not required.

A recent Wisconsin Supreme Court decision regarding the governor’s ability to issue emergency orders has not changed the WEC’s guidance, which WEC developed with the assistance of public health officials from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, that face coverings are recommended for use by voters, poll workers and observers on Election Day. Voters cannot be refused a ballot for not wearing a face covering at the polls on Election Day. Face covering requirements for poll workers and election observers may be subject to local health department orders.

“Even though people are being vaccinated now, we still ask voters to observe social distancing inside and outside of polling places, and not to create disturbances about wearing or not wearing face coverings,” said Wolfe.

Remember to bring your photo ID.

Wisconsin requires an acceptable photo ID to vote, such as a Wisconsin driver license, state ID card, US passport, military and veteran’s IDs, tribal IDs, a certificate of naturalization, and 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.

“Most people have the ID they need to vote, but if you don’t have one you can get one for free with one visit to your local Division of Motor Vehicles office,” Wolfe said. For more information, call 608-266-1069.

Wolfe also reminded voters that their acceptable photo ID for voting does not need to show their current address.  “When you show your photo ID to get your ballot, you’re proving who you are,” Wolfe said. “You already proved where you live when you registered to vote.”

Wisconsin voters with a driver license or state ID card do not need to worry about whether their ID has a “REAL ID” star in the corner to be used as photo ID for voting.  A photo ID with the star may be needed to board an airplane or enter federal buildings, but it is not required for voting.

Also, voters over the age of 60 who use a Wisconsin driver license do not need to worry if they have not been able to renew their ID due to the pandemic. The DMV has extended the expiration date for people 60 and over whose driver license expired after March 12, 2020, until May 21, 2021.  That means voters can still use their Wisconsin driver license for photo ID as it’s not technically expired.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.