In-Person Absentee Voting Begins Today & Madison Public Library Book Drops Open

Two pieces of news from the Clerk's Office and Madison Public Library:

City of Madison voters may vote absentee at the City Clerk’s Office, some Madison Public Library locations, UW-Madison Memorial Union and Union South, UW-Madison Student Activity Center, Madison College – Truax Campus, and Madison College – South Campus beginning Tuesday, Oct. 20.

Absentee voting locations will expand to Edgewood College on Monday, Oct. 26.­ 

Drive-Up/Walk-Up In-Person Absentee Procedure

1. If you have your own ballpoint pen to use, please wave it at the absentee clerk as they approach you at a drive-up/walk-up absentee voting site. The absentee clerk will be wearing a reflective vest and a face mask.
2. The absentee clerk will give you an absentee envelope to fill out on a clipboard that is disinfected after each use.
3. The absentee clerk will need to check your voter ID. You may hold your ID up to your window for the absentee clerk to see.
4. Once you mark your ballot, you will seal it in the absentee envelope.
5. You will sign your envelope in the presence of the absentee clerk. The absentee clerk will sign as your witness.
6. At the end of the drive-up/walk-up voting shift for the day, your absentee will be brought to the Clerk's Office in a courier bag with a tamper-evident seal. The unique serial number on the tamper-evident seal is documented on a chain-of-custody form, as is the number of absentee envelopes sealed in the courier bag.
7. The Clerk's Office will verify the serial number on the tamper-evident seal, and the number of absentee envelopes sealed inside the courier bag.
8. Your absentee will remain sealed in its envelope and secure in the Clerk's Office until it is delivered to your polling place to be processed on Election Day.
9. On Election Day, the poll workers at your polling place will check your envelope into the poll book, and will feed your ballot into the tabulator to be counted.

The in-person absentee voting hours and locations for the City of Madison are:

*City of Madison Clerk's Office
210 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., Rm. 103
Oct. 20 – Nov. 1
8:00 am – 7:00 pm weekdays
1:00 – 5:00 pm Saturdays
1:00 – 5:00 pm Sundays

*Goodman South Madison Library
2222 S. Park St.
Oct. 20 – 31
12:00 – 6:00 pm weekdays
1:00 – 4:00 pm Saturdays
Line up on to the right of the line of cones parallel with Park Street facing the library.

*Hawthorne Library
2707 E. Washington Ave.
Oct. 20 – 31
12:00 – 6:00 pm weekdays
1:00 – 4:00 pm Saturdays

*Lakeview Library
2845 N. Sherman Ave.
Oct. 20 – 31
12:00 – 6:00 pm weekdays
1:00 – 4:00 pm Saturdays

*Meadowridge Library
5726 Raymond Rd.
Oct. 20 – 31
12:00 – 6:00 pm weekdays
1:00 – 4:00 pm Saturdays

*Pinney Library
516 Cottage Grove Rd.
Oct. 20 – 31
12:00 – 6:00 pm weekdays
1:00 – 4:00 pm Saturdays

*Sequoya Library
4340 Tokay Blvd.
Oct. 20 – 31
12:00 – 6:00 pm weekdays
1:00 – 4:00 pm Saturdays

* ***Alicia Ashman Library
733 N. High Point Rd.
Oct. 20 – 31
By appointment only. Call 266-4601 at least 24 hours in advance to make an appointment.
12:00 – 6:00 pm weekdays
1:00 – 4:00 pm Saturdays

**Tent at UW-Madison Union South
1308 W. Dayton St.
Oct. 20 – 30
11:00 am – 6:00 pm

**Tent at UW-Madison Memorial Union
800 Langdon St.
Oct. 20 – 30
11:00 am – 6:00 pm

**Tent at UW-Madison Student Activity Center
333 East Campus Mall
Oct. 20 - 30
11:00am - 6:00pm

***Madison College – Truax Campus
Human & Protective Services Main Building
1701 Pearson St.
Oct. 20 – 30
10:00 am – 6:00 pm weekdays

***Madison College – South Campus
Cafeteria/designated parking in lot behind the building
2429 Perry St.
Oct. 20 – 30
10:00 am – 6:00 pm weekdays

Edgewood College - Wingra Common
Outside Predolin Hall (or inside at Phil’s dining area in case of inclement weather)
1000 Edgewood College Dr.
Oct. 26 – 30
10:00 am – 2:00 pm

*Voters on October 31 and November 1 must be pre-registered.
**Voting will be available inside UW Memorial Union in case of inclement weather.
*** Voting will not be available in the case of any inclement weather.

If there are thunderstorms, voting will only be available at the City Clerk’s Office or UW Memorial Union.

Voters must present an acceptable form of photo ID before receiving an absentee ballot.  The following types of ID are accepted under state law:

• Wisconsin driver license expiring after 11/06/2018 (date of the last November election)
• Wisconsin photo ID issued by the Department of Transportation expiring after 11/06/2018
• U.S. passport (book or card) expiring after 11/06/2018
• Military ID card expiring after 11/06/2018
• Certificate of Naturalization issued within the last two years
• Unexpired Wisconsin driver license or state ID card receipt
• ID card issued by a federally recognized Indian tribe in Wisconsin
• ID issued by a Wisconsin accredited university or college that contains an issuance date, a student signature, and an expiration date within two years of issuance; card must be accompanied by proof of current enrollment
• Unexpired Veterans Affairs ID card

Out-of-state driver licenses, out-of-state ID cards, faculty ID cards, and high school ID cards are not acceptable forms of voter ID under Wisconsin law.

The address on your ID does not matter when proving identity.  The name on the ID, however, must reasonably conform to the name on the poll book.

When voting, it doesn’t matter if the ID complies with the federal REAL ID Act of 2005.  The federal REAL ID Act has nothing to do with elections.

The Dane County Voter ID Coalition is available to help voters apply for a free Wisconsin ID card.  They can even set up a free cab ride to the DMV.  The Dane County Voter ID Coalition hotline is (608) 285-2141.

Effective immediately, all Madison Public Library locations will reopen book drops for 24/7 return of library materials.

“Initially we did not know enough about how the virus was being transmitted. As more research indicates now that COVID-19 is primarily spread through direct contact with affected individuals, we are reopening our book drops and decreasing our quarantine period to 24 hours, ” said Library Director Greg Mickells. “The research has been reviewed by public health agencies and they agree that this is a safe step forward for our staff and the public.”

The decision to reopen book drops and reduce the quarantine period was based on new guidance from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services after that agency reviewed new guidance from the State Library of Oregon and the Reopening Archives, Libraries and Museums (REALM) Project. Book drops were closed at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic along with other library services. In May, returns were once again accepted at libraries in mobile carts during curbside service hours, with a 72 hour quarantine period on items before check in.

Madison customers will find that the items they return to Madison libraries are checked in faster, but may not notice faster service for holds and delivery of items from other libraries. All participating libraries in the South Central Library System have different procedures for quarantining of materials and libraries are still experiencing longer delays in transfer of materials between libraries than in the time before COVID-19.

Madison Libraries Are Fine Free
Library materials returned late during the COVID-19 pandemic have not incurred overdue fees.  “When we closed for COVID-19, we extended due dates and temporarily eliminated fines for overdue materials,” said Borrower Services Manager Margie Navarre Saaf.  In August of 2020, the Madison Public Library Board eliminated library overdue fines, and Madison Public Library staff are in the process of removing library fines from customer records, prioritizing those with blocks on their cards for fine elimination first.  Madison customers who’ve had their card blocked due to overdue fines can contact the library at 608-266-6357 to have their card unblocked and the fines removed.

More information
Currently Available Library Services https://www.madisonpubliclibrary.org/coronavirus
Madison Public Library’s Fine Free Page https://www.madisonpubliclibrary.org/library-cards/fine-free
For a list of all library hours and locations, visit https://www.madisonpubliclibrary.org/locations
For downloadable audiobooks and ebooks, visit https://www.madisonpubliclibrary.org/ebooks
For LINKcat online library catalog, visit https://www.linkcat.info 

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

-Keith F