No ID required, this time!
Here’s info on early voting:
Dates and Times:
Monday-Friday from 8:00am – 7:00pm:
March 23-27 & March 30-April 3
Early voting (in-person absentee voting) begins this Monday, March 23 and ends Friday, April 3, 2015. Madison voters can vote at the clerk’s office, 210 Martin Luther King Jr, Blvd, during this period. Madison voters can also request a mailed absentee ballot by sending an email to voting@cityofmadison.com.
Anyone who is not registered to vote, or who has moved since they last voted, can register at the clerk’s office or at the polls on election day, April 7 (proof of residence is required). Polls are open from 7am to 8pm.
The League of Women Voters of Dane County has again published their very handy Candidates’ Answers. You can find this publication as a supplement in the latest issue of Isthmus or online at www.lwvdanecounty.org.
For more information about voting in Wisconsin, and what you will need to register to vote, go to http://www.lwvdanecounty.org/
voting-information/ or http://www.cityofmadison.com/ election/voter/pre.cfm.
To check your current registration, to find your voting location, or to look at a sample ballot, go to the GAB web site at https://myvote.wi.gov/ .
Government Accountability Board (GAB)) press release on voter I.D.
The U.S. Supreme Court today cleared the way for enforcement of Wisconsin’s 2011 voter ID law, but because the Spring Election is two weeks away, the Attorney General has advised state election officials not to implement it at the April 7 election.
“Absentee ballots are already in the hands of voters, therefore, the law cannot be implemented for the April 7 election,” Attorney General Brad Schimel stated today. “The Voter ID law will be in place for future elections – this decision is final.” The Wisconsin Department of Justice represented the Government Accountability Board in defending the voter ID law.
Kevin Kennedy, Wisconsin’s chief election official, said the G.A.B. anticipates there will be special elections in 2015 at which photo ID will be required. The next statewide election at which photo ID will be required is the Spring Primary on February 16, 2016.
On March 23, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal of an earlier Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals decision which had reinstated the photo ID law. The law had been enjoined by the courts since March, 2012.
Even though voters will not have to show an ID to receive a ballot at this election, voters who are registering now in the municipal clerk’s office or at the polling place on Election Day should be aware that they may use their driver license or state ID card to establish their residence if it contains a current address.
“You may use a valid driver license or state ID card for proof of residence when you register to vote, either before or on Election Day” said Kennedy. “But you are not required to show a photo ID to get your ballot.”
Photo ID requirements are different than proof of residence requirements. All voters must show proof of residence to register to vote, and a driver license or state ID card with a current address are just two of many documents can use to prove they are residents. A full list is available here: http://gab.wi.gov/publications/voter-guides/proof-of-residence.
Also, voters who have a Wisconsin driver license or state ID card are required to provide the card number on the voter registration form. Voters who do not have a driver license or state ID card can use the last four digits of their Social Security number instead.
The G.A.B. advises anyone who does not have a state ID card to take advantage of the opportunity to get one for free. The Wisconsin Division of Motor Vehicles has a process to allow people to obtain a free State ID card for voting purposes, even if the person does not have a birth certificate.
Kennedy said that process can take time, especially for people born outside of Wisconsin, so it makes sense to get started early. More information is available at the Wisconsin DMV website:
http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/drivers/drivers/apply/petition-process.htm.
Voters are also encouraged to visit the Wisconsin Government Accountability’s voter services website, MyVote.wi.gov, for information about voting.
