Madison Early Voting Information

Because of COVID-19, voters are strongly encouraged to act now to vote absentee for the Tuesday, November 3 General Election.

Polls will be open for those who need them on Election Day, but most voters should 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 on Election Day to verify your polling place, as many locations will change for this election.

Early In-Person Absentee Voting

City of Madison voters may now cast absentee ballots and register to vote at drive-up/walk-up voting locations beginning today.

The downtown early voting locations are:

• City Clerk's Office, City-County Building, 210 Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard
• UW-Madison Campus (tents outside Memorial Union, Student Activity Center and Union South)

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

The City Clerk’s Office worked with Public Health Madison & Dane County to develop a safe voting plan for the fall elections. Part of that plan is to offer absentee voting outdoors. Voters are encouraged to check the City Clerk’s Office website or call the City Clerk’s Office before heading to an absentee voting site in inclement weather.

Voters may use their own blue or black ballpoint pen to mark their ballot. If planning to use their own pen, the voter should wave their pen at the absentee ballot clerk approaching their vehicle.

Absentee clerks will be wearing facemasks and high visibility vests. They will disinfect pens, clipboards and envelope sealers after each use. The absentee clerks will be able to check voter ID through the voter’s vehicle window. If the voter needs to register to vote, the absentee clerk will be able to view the voter’s proof of address through the vehicle window.

The Dane County Voter ID Coalition is available to help voters apply for a free Wisconsin ID card, including arranging free taxi rides 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” 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 29. However, voters should absolutely 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 3. Again, please request and return ballots as soon as possible.