Madison Early Voting Information

Interested voters are encouraged to act now to vote absentee for the Tuesday, November 5 General Election.

Polls will obviously be open on Election Day, but voters may choose to vote absentee for this election. For that to happen, you should request an absentee ballot as soon as possible or consider In-Person Absentee Voting. If you plan to vote on Election Day, please check MyVote.wi.gov to verify your polling place.

Early In-Person Absentee Voting

Starting tomorrow, City of Madison voters may now cast absentee ballots and register to vote at early voting locations.

The downtown early voting locations are:

• Central Library, 201 West Mifflin Street
• Madison Municipal Building, 215 Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard (weekdays only)
• UW-Madison Memorial Union, 800 Langdon Street (weekdays only)

All early voting locations and hours are listed here. Voters must present an acceptable form of photo ID before receiving an absentee ballot.

The Dane County Voter ID Coalition is available to help voters apply for a free Wisconsin ID card, including arranging free transportation to the Division of Motor Vehicles. The Dane County Voter ID Coalition hotline is (608) 285-2141.

How to Request an Absentee Ballot

There are several ways registered voters can request absentee ballots. The easiest way is to sign up at MyVote.wi.gov.

Just look for the “Vote Absentee By Mail” button near the top of the page. On a mobile phone, use the menu button in the upper right corner of the website. There is a three-step process that starts with entering your name and date of birth, followed by requesting your ballot. If you don’t already have a photo ID on file with the City Clerk’s Office, you can upload a copy. Mobile phone users can take a picture and upload it to MyVote. Absentee ballot requests submitted this way go directly to the City Clerk’s Office, and you can track your ballot by returning to the website.

Voters can also request absentee ballots by mailing the City Clerk’s Office. Detailed absentee voting information is available here. These requests must be accompanied by a copy of your photo ID. If you already have a photo ID on file from previous absentee requests under your current registration, you will not need to provide it again.

The deadline for registered voters to request an absentee ballot be mailed to you is the Thursday before the election, October 31. However, voters should not wait, due to possible delays in mail delivery. If you get an absentee ballot mailed to you, you can still decide to vote at the polls on Election Day if you haven’t returned it.

Your absentee ballot must be received in the City Clerk’s Office or at your polling place by 8:00 p.m. on Election Day, November 5. Again, please request and return ballots as soon as possible.