While many voters are anxiously eyeing the November election, with a repeat matchup between President Joe Biden and Donald Trump, Wisconsin’s April 2 spring election is shaping up to be quiet by comparison. With most local races uncontested and both major parties’ presidential nominations all but official, two proposed amendments to the state Constitution related to elections administration are stealing the spotlight. This guide breaks down what voters need to know, whether they plan to vote early or on Election Day. We have included links to our election coverage and websites where voters can find out their polling place and see what’s on their ballot. With this resource citizens should have what they need to exercise their right to vote and there should be no surprises at the ballot box.
Constitutional amendments
The two proposed amendments to the state Constitution on this spring’s ballot aim to outlaw private support of election administration. Everyone in Wisconsin will vote on the following ballot referendums:
- Question 1 - "Use of private funds in election administration. Shall section 7 (1) of article III of the constitution be created to provide that private donations and grants may not be applied for, accepted, expended, or used in connection with the conduct of any primary, election, or referendum?"
- Question 2 - "Election officials. Shall section 7 (2) of article III of the constitution be created to provide that only election officials designated by law may perform tasks in the conduct of primaries, elections, and referendums?"
Here’s the background: As mail and absentee voting exploded in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, local elections officials across the country found they needed significantly more staff and equipment to administer elections without badly delayed results.
With Congress failing to fill in the funding gap, a small Chicago nonprofit called the Center for Tech and Civic Life received hundreds of millions of dollars from Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan, then gave out grants to more than 2,500 jurisdictions. The amendments seek to ban similar private spending on elections administration in the future.
An APM Reports analysis of grants given in swing states showed that the money was mainly spent on “increased pay for poll workers, expanded early voting sites and extra equipment to more quickly process millions of mailed ballots.” That outlet also found that swing state jurisdictions had no consistent differences in turnout based on whether they received a grant or not. Madison received $1.27 million from the Center for Tech and Civic Life. In total, the Center for Tech and Civic Life spent about $10 million in Wisconsin. Most of that money was concentrated in the state’s largest cities, but more than 200 jurisdictions received grants, and no community that applied for a grant was turned down.
The grants fueled conspiracy theories about election fraud and suspicions about a hidden partisan agenda. The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty criticized the grants in official testimony to a state legislative committee, saying “99% of that voter outreach money was spent by left-leaning cities — MIlwaukee, Green Bay, Madison, and Racine.”
A statement from Mark Zuckerberg at the time said the funding was nonpartisan. “I agree with those who say that government should have provided these funds, not private citizens. I hope that for future elections the government provides adequate funding. But absent that funding, I think it's critical that this urgent need is met,” Zuckerberg wrote.
The League of Women Voters of Wisconsin and ACLU of Wisconsin are opposed to the proposed constitutional amendments. The ACLU says that providing sufficient public funding for elections is their preferred solution, but in the meantime, “grants banned by this proposal have provided a lifeline to help clerks pay for equipment, polling place rental, poll workers, and supplies to protect your right to vote and make elections run smoothly and securely.”
Local races
Many local races on the ballot this spring failed to attract more than one candidate. Madison’s two school board races will be on the ballots of all who live within the city of Madison — board members are elected “at-large” in citywide votes. Incumbents Savion Castro and Maia Pearson are running for re-election uncontested.
For the Dane County Board, only 10 of 37 races will be contested. Incumbent Matt Veldran will face challenger Richard Brown Sr. in his south-side district, incumbent Steven Peters will face John Wollaeger on the far west side, and Tommy Rylander will face Sean Burke in a northeast Madison district near the airport. Incumbent Jay Brower faces Travis Austin in a campus-area district.
In Marshall, incumbent Jeff Weigand and Andrea Andrews will compete for that village’s board seat. Incumbent Maureen McCarville will face Rebecca Witherspoon in DeForest, David Boetcher will face Mark Foster in Waunakee, and incumbent Michele Doolan will face Bill Brosius in Cross Plains. Current board chair Patrick Miles is being challenged in his McFarland district by Ed Wreh. Finally, Loreen Gage and David Peterson advanced from the primary for Cottage Grove’s board seat separated by a single vote. Dane County Board races are nonpartisan.
All five Dane County circuit court races are uncontested. But a Monona municipal judge election that initially drew no candidates now has three candidates competing as write-ins.
Statewide legislative redistricting will not have an impact on boundaries for local government elections this spring.
Absentee ballots
A proposal that would allow officials to start counting absentee ballots earlier than Election Day to avoid late “ballot dumps” that can quickly change the appearance of live results passed the state Assembly but died in the Senate. However, the Wisconsin Elections Commission recently told local elections clerks that they can now accept absentee ballots with only partial witness addresses. A 2021 review by the state’s Legislative Audit Bureau found that about 7% of absentee ballots had partial addresses from witnesses.
Voting on Election Day
I’m already registered
If you’re already registered to vote, you can show up to vote in-person on Election Day, April 2. MyVote WI has a tool to check whether you’re registered and at what address. You can also check where your polling place is and what’s on your ballot. Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. You will need to bring a photo ID, which does not need to show your current address.
You can also prepare and bring notes about who you want to vote for into the booth. You can take and share photos of yourself voting, but cannot show your marked ballot to others. And if you have a disability, you can vote “curbside,” in your vehicle or at the entrance to the polling place, with the assistance of poll workers.
I need to register
If you’re not registered to vote, you can register at your polling place on Election Day. In order to register, you will need proof of residence. The Madison City Clerk’s Office maintains a list of what counts as valid proof of residence, such as pay stubs or a bank statement, which can be shown in either paper or electronic form. UW and Madison College students can verify their residence through their student center portals (UW | Madison College). MG&E customers can login to their account and show their electronic utility bill.
Online and mail registration ended on March 13, but voters who still need to register can do so in person at any in-person absentee voting locations (list), or the City Clerk’s Office from March 19 until March 29, or register at the polls on Election Day. State law prevents residents from registering to vote on the Saturday, Sunday or Monday before the election.
Voting Before Election Day
I’m already registered
Vote by mail: If you are registered to vote, you can request an absentee ballot and return the completed ballot by mail or in-person to the City Clerk’s Office at 210 Martin Luther King Blvd.. Your request for an absentee ballot must be received by the City Clerk’s Office by 5 p.m. on March 28, and your completed ballot must be received by the City Clerk’s Office by 8 p.m. on Election Day for it to count. You can also bring your completed ballot to your polling place on Election Day.
Vote early in-person: Early in-person voting, also called in-person absentee voting, started on March 19. To vote early in person, you will need to bring a photo ID. The City Clerk’s Office maintains a list of in-person absentee voting locations and the hours they are open. In-person absentee voting is available from March 19-31.
I need to register
Register in-person: You can register to vote and cast your ballot at any in-person absentee voting location (list) between March 19 and March 29. In order to register, you will need to bring proof of residence. The Madison City Clerk’s Office maintains a list of what counts as valid proof of residence, such as a pay stub or a bank statement, which can be shown in either paper or electronic form. UW and Madison College students can verify their residence through their student center portals (UW | Madison College). MG&E customers can login to their account and show their electronic utility bill.
Register online or by mail: Online and mail registration closed on March 13, per a state law that only allows in-person registration for 20 days before an election.
Other Frequently Asked Questions
I don’t have a photo ID. How do I get one?
The city maintains a list of the documentation you will need to apply for a voter ID, including proof of citizenship, residence, identity, and name and date of birth.
The Dane County Voter ID Coalition — a collaboration between the League of Women Voters Dane County and the Dane County NAACP — is helping voters get IDs ahead of the election, providing transportation and help with the application at two Madison DMV locations. If you have more questions, you can call or text the Voter Helpline at 608-285-2141.
Where do I vote? What is going to be on my ballot?
Find where to vote here. See what will be on your ballot here.
How can I find out about the candidates?
Most supervisor candidates in competitive races in Madison participated in Know Your Candidate interviews moderated by the League of Women Voters, which are available on the city of Madison’s YouTube page.
The Northside Planning Council livestreamed and recorded a candidate forum for county supervisor candidates in District 12, which covers areas of northeast Madison near the airport and East Towne.
WORT-FM interviewed the candidates for supervisor in District 9 on the city’s far west side.
Monona livestreamed and recorded candidate forums for city council and municipal judge candidates as well as Monona Grove School Board candidates on March 9.
Who is funding the candidates?
You can see local candidates’ campaign finance reports here. Candidates for the spring election must submit their pre-election campaign finance report by March 25.
Will Wisconsin have an “uncommitted” option in the presidential primaries?
A campaign ahead of Michigan’s Feb. 27 primary wanted voters in that state’s Democratic primary to vote “uncommitted” to protest President Joe Biden’s support for Israel’s war in Gaza. A similar group called Listen to Wisconsin wants voters to do the same in the Badger State; here, the ballot will have an option for delegates to be “uninstructed.”
Uninstructed delegates can vote for any candidate they choose at their party’s convention — the Democrats will hold theirs in Chicago this August and the Republicans will hold theirs in Milwaukee in July. For Democrats, “uninstructed” must receive 15% of the vote in any Congressional district or statewide for delegates to be awarded. In Michigan, “uncommitted” received 13% of the vote, while in Minnesota it received about 19%. In 2020, 462 Democratic voters in Dane County selected the “uninstructed” option in the presidential primary, as did 945 Republican voters.
Other voting guides
The League of Women Voters voting guide can be found here.
