Voting Update, Polling Location Changes

Despite lawsuits and against the wishes of our Mayor and Governor, it so far appears the election is on schedule for this Tuesday (April 7). Today is the LAST DAY you can request an absentee ballot! All ballots MUST be returned and received by the Clerk's office by April 7th.

My wife and I will both be volunteering as poll workers on Tuesday. The City has been working hard to make election day as safe as possible. There is a shortage of election day workers and some locations are unavailable so there has been a change in polling locations. More information below.

The Clerk's Office must receive your ballot by April 7. Because there isn't much time for ballots to arrive in the mail, the Library is opening up three book drops just for voters returning their absentee ballots (sealed in their certificate envelopes). The Clerk's Office will retrieve ballots from these locations daily. You may drop off your ballot at one of these locations beginning Wednesday, April 1, and by noon on Election Day, Tuesday, April 7:

• Pinney Library dropbox – 516 Cottage Grove Road
• Sequoya Library dropbox – 4340 Tokay Boulevard
• Central Library dropbox – 201 W Mifflin Street

Request an absentee ballot for the April 7 Spring Election by mail or email.

In-person absentee voting is no longer available in the Clerk's office or in the Madison Municipal Building.

Curbside voting will remain available at this time from 8 a.m.-6 p.m, Monday-Friday:

The City of Madison has reserved parking meters on the 200 block of Martin Luther King, Jr., Boulevard for any City of Madison voter to register and/or vote from the curb.  Just pull up to a parking meter in front of the City-County Building or Madison Municipal Building with a "No Parking - Police Order sign."  If you have a cell phone, you can call the number posted on the sign at the meter to begin the curbside voting process.  Otherwise, wave at one of our election officials standing in front of the building, wearing a bright yellow vest.  Two officials will bring your ballot to your vehicle and will check your voter ID at your vehicle.  If you have your own pen to use, wave it at the officials as they approach your vehicle.  (Note, we are sanitizing clipboards and pens after each use.)

If you had the Clerk's Office mail you an absentee ballot and you need a witness, you may use the curbside voting process for that purpose. You can also read about other witness options here: https://cityofmadison.com/clerk/news/voters-in-need-of-a-witness

The City of Madison has changed many polling locations due to COVID-19. View a full list of all polling places for the April 7 Spring Election and Presidential Preference Primary.

City of Madison voters are also able to use the polling place data map created by the City of Madison Planning Division. View the polling place data map. 

All polling places have also been updated on the MyVote Wisconsin website. By visiting myvote.wi.gov, voters can confirm their polling place and view a sample ballot.

The polling locations for District 19 are:

Ward 86 - Asbury United Methodist, 6101 University Avenue
Ward 87, 89 - John Muir Elementary School, 6602 Inner Drive
Ward 88 - Alicia Ashman Library, 733 N High Point Road
Ward 90 - Falk Elementary, 6323 Woodington Way

Visit the Clerk's Office website for more information.

Here's information that was shared with poll workers about the safety procedures taking place at the polls:

Our Election Day operations will be modified for this Election, again based on science-based advice from public health professionals. 

• Instead of a set greeter station and registration table, two people at every polling place will be assigned to the "curbside team."
• The curbside team will have access to plastic face shields
• Assist curbside voters
• Fulfill the usual greeter role
• Prevent too many voters from entering the polling place at one time
• There will be only one poll book table at each polling place, regardless of how many wards are there. It will be equipped with a protective Plexiglas shield.
  • Two workers at a time will handle the poll books and check ID.
  • Poll books will not be split A-L, M-Z.
  • Remember that poll workers will never touch a voter's ID.
• ?There will be one ballot table, with two workers at each location. It will also have a protective Plexiglas shield. We cannot stress enough the importance of using the ballots at combined polling places and polling places with multiple school districts. This election is already being litigated and we need our results to be able to hold up to the scrutiny of a recount or lawsuit.

Curbside Voting on Election Day (Reminders)

• We will likely experience higher than ever requests for curbside voting.
• We offer curbside voting at every election, but there may be more demand for it this April. 
• It is entirely inappropriate to question a voter's decision to vote curbside. Decisions about personal safety are personal and not subject to your review.

Safety Supplies and Procedures at the Polls

• As mentioned above, City Engineering has fabricated Plexiglas barriers to help keep poll workers and voters safe. There will be one at the poll book table and one at the ballot table.
• Hand sanitizer will be available for voters to use as they enter and leave the polling place.
• Poll workers will have gloves available. Not every task requires gloves. We remind you that even though you are wearing gloves, you still cannot touch your face. You are encouraged to use sanitizing wipes to wipe down your gloves throughout the day.
• The City has obtained 500 plastic face shields for use on Election Day. These are a shared resource. They will be sanitized between users. Workers will only be using face shields when engaging directly in a task that requires less than 6 feet of distance, such as workers who are actively helping voters curbside. They are not to be worn by workers sitting behind a protective Plexiglas shield.

As always, if there is anything I can do to help, feel free to reach out: district19@cityofmadison.com

-Keith F

The 2020 Census is here! As we practice social distancing, take the opportunity to complete the census now from the comfort of your own home. You can fill it out online at my2020census.gov, by phone, or by mail.