pre-register to vote
Registration is open until 5 p.m. 20 days before an election. During open registration, City of Madison residents may register to vote at any Madison Public Library, several University of Wisconsin Libraries, or in the City Clerk’s Office. No proof of residence is needed during open registration.
State law now prohibits voter registration the Saturday, Sunday, and Monday before an election, but voters may still register at the polls on Election Day.
Voter Registration Application Form:
To register to vote by mail, download and print the application above and mail the form to: City Clerk, 210 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd #103, Madison, WI 53703. The registration form must be postmarked at least 20 days before the election. If this is your first time registering to vote in Wisconsin, you will need to include a photocopy of one of the following forms of proof of residence:
- A current and valid Wisconsin driver’s license or Wisconsin identification card.
- Any other official identification card or license issued by a Wisconsin governmental body or unit
- An identification card issued by an employer in the normal course of business, which has a photograph of the cardholder, but not a business card.
- A real estate tax bill or receipt for the current year or the year preceding the date of the election.
- A UW-Madison or Edgewood College ID card with a photograph of the cardholder, if student is listed on certified housing list.
- A utility bill for the period commencing not earlier than 90 days before the election.
- A bank statement.
- A paycheck.
- A check or other document issued by a unit of government.
The State of Wisconsin requires an original signature on your voter registration form. If you submit a voter registration form via fax or e-mail, you still need to mail the original form to the City Clerk’s Office.
Registering to Vote during Closed Registration
Once registration closes at 5 p.m. 20 days before an election, you may only register to vote in the City Clerk’s Office with proof of residence,
until the Clerk’s Office closes for business the Friday before the election.
Establishing Residency for Voting Purposes
If you moved within Wisconsin after October 9, you will not be at your new address for the 28 days necessary to establish residency before the November 6 election. Voters who moved within Wisconsin after October 9 may vote from their previous address, either by absentee ballot or at the polling place for that previous address.
Voters who moved out of Wisconsin in the past 24 months but moved too late to register to vote in their new state may apply for a presidential ballot. Application form is here (the form must be notarized).
Voters who move into Wisconsin less than 28 days before the November 6 election may apply for a presidential ballot. Application form is here (the form must be notarized and accompanied by an authorization to cancel former registration found here).
Temporary absence does not affect residency. Time spent away from your residence still counts toward the 28 day residency requirement as long as you intended to return.
Temporary residences cannot be used for voting. When you register to vote, you must certify that you have resided at that address for 28 days with no intent to move.
You may register to vote with proof of residence in the City Clerk’s Office until the Friday before the election, or at the polls on Election Day. Any one of following items can be used as proof of residence during closed registration:
- A current and valid Wisconsin driver’s license or Wisconsin identification card.
- Any other official identification card or license issued by a Wisconsin governmental body or unit
- An identification card issued by an employer in the normal course of business, which has a photograph of the cardholder, but not a business card.
- A real estate tax bill or receipt for the current year or the year preceding the date of the election.
- A current residential lease.
- A UW-Madison or Edgewood College ID card with a photograph of the cardholder, if student is listed on certified housing list.
- A utility bill for the period commencing not earlier than 90 days before the election.
- A bank statement.
- A paycheck.
- A check or other document issued by a unit of government.
Registering to Vote on Election Day:
Wisconsin allows voters to register at the polls on Election Day, with one of the following acceptable forms of proof of residence:
- A current and valid Wisconsin driver’s license or Wisconsin identification card.
- Any other official identification card or license issued by a Wisconsin governmental body or unit
- An identification card issued by an employer in the normal course of business, which has a photograph of the cardholder, but not a business card.
- A real estate tax bill or receipt for the current year or the year preceding the date of the election.
- A current residential lease.
- A UW-Madison or Edgewood College ID card with a photograph of the cardholder, if student is listed on certified housing list.
- A utility bill for the period commencing not earlier than 90 days before the election.
- A bank statement.
- A paycheck.
- A check or other document issued by a unit of government.
