The main image for the 2026 August primary voter guide.
Una guía de Español esta aqui.
More than 10 Democratic candidates seized the opportunity to run for Wisconsin governor when Gov. Tony Evers announced he would not run for a third term, but the field of candidates has narrowed in the last few weeks of the race. The Aug. 11 primary election will shrink choices further, down to one candidate per party. The winners in each party will face off in the general election on Nov. 3.
While the Democratic gubernatorial primary may be garnering the most attention, there are competitive elections for federal, state and local offices. They range from one-issue campaigns challenging incumbents to races packed with candidates who share similar platforms.
This voting guide identifies the relevant candidates along with election rules and deadlines you’ll want to know before casting a ballot. We’ve linked widely to other verified resources — but if you can’t find an answer, MyVote Wisconsin or your municipal clerk are good places to begin.
Congressional
All of Wisconsin’s eight seats in the U.S. House of Representatives are on the ballot this fall.
Democratic Rep. Mark Pocan, who represents District 2, covering south-central Wisconsin, is facing a primary challenge. But his opponent says it’s not personal, and that Pocan is a “great guy.” Fellow Democrat Douglas Alexander is running to advocate for Congressional term limits.
The victor will sail on through to an uncompetitive election in November. This is the only Congressional race in Wisconsin this year where no Republican has filed paperwork to run.
Statewide
Governor
Two candidates are running for the Republican nomination: Congressman and former state lawmaker Tom Tiffany, and medical services technician Andy Manske.
Seven Democrats will appear on the ballot, though several have dropped out of the race. The active candidates are ex-chef and Madison-area state Rep. Francesca Hong, attorney and Madison-area state Sen. Kelda Roys, businessman and former Department of Administration Secretary Joel Brennan, and Milwaukee County Exec. David Crowley, who re-entered the race after suspending his campaign.
Former WEDC Secretary/CEO Missy Hughes announced her exit from the race June 22. Nurse and Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez dropped out July 17. Former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes dropped out July 30.
Lieutenant Governor
No one is challenging Secretary of State Sarah Godlewski for the Democratic primary nomination.
Two Republicans are running for the Republican nomination: former Lancaster Mayor David Varnam and small business owner Will Martin.
Attorney General
Josh Kaul is running unopposed in the Democratic primary.
Eric Toney is running unopposed in the Republican primary.
Secretary of State
The secretary of state administers elections in many other states, but not in Wisconsin. Instead the duties of the office include maintaining official state records, validating documents for international use, and chairing the Board of Commissioners of Public Lands.
Secretary of State Sarah Godlewski is not running for re-election. Milwaukee Ald. and former state Rep. JoCasta Zamarripa is running unopposed for the Democratic nomination.
Four Republicans are running for secretary of state, including “authentic MAGA activist” Jay Schroeder, small business owner Brayden Myer, farmer Nate Pollnow, and military veteran Cindy Werner.
Small business owner Pete Karas is running unopposed for the Wisconsin Green Party nomination.
State Treasurer
Incumbent John S. Leiber is running unopposed in the Republican primary.
Two candidates are running for the Democratic nomination, and both have experience in local government: Wausau-based Yee Leng Xiong, and Black Earth-based Dylan Ray Helmenstine.
State Senate
Odd-numbered seats in the state Senate are on the ballot this year.
In Senate District 17, in southwest Dane County, three Democrats are running: Rep. Jenna Jacobson, former daycare provider and advocate Corrine Hendrickson, and business owner Lisa White. The winner will take on Republican incumbent Howard Marklein in November.
In Senate District 27, Democratic Sen. Dianne Hesselbein is running unopposed.
State Assembly
State Representatives serve two-year terms, and all 99 seats are on the ballot in November.
In Madison, the open seat to replace Francesca Hong in Assembly District 76 has five Democrats vying for the August nomination: legislative staffer Isaia Ben-Ami, former city alder and legislative staffer Juliana Bennett, journalist and organizer Zoe Sullivan, city alder and comedian Dina Nina Martinez-Rutherford, and musician and radio host Tony Castañeda. The winner will face Republican Nina Chat, who does not appear to have a campaign website, in November.
In Assembly District 50, which covers southern Dane County, incumbent Democrat Jenna Jacobson is not running again. There are three Democrats vying for the nomination: public policy researcher and New Glarus school board president Bill Oemichen, activist and customer service resolution representative Josh Mittness, and nurse, daycare provider, and produce farmer Bryna Caves. The winner will face Republican Jon Aleckson in November.
In Assembly District 51, which includes western Dane County, incumbent Rep.Todd Novak will face Democrat Ben Gruber, and the American Solidarity Party’s Nathan Tataje.
In nine other Assembly races in Dane County, the Democratic incumbent has no primary challenger this August, but will face one Republican challenger in November:
Assembly District 42: Incumbent Rep. Maureen McCarville will face Republican farmer and army veteran Keith F. Miller.
Assembly District 46: Incumbent Rep. Joan Fitzgerald will face Republican John Donohue.
Assembly District 47: Incumbent Rep. Randy Udell will face Republican Sandy Bakk.
Assembly District 48: Incumbent Rep. Andrew Hysell will face Republican Mark Kjorlie.
Assembly District 77: Incumbent Rep. Renuka Mayadev will face Republican Jane McCormick.
Assembly District 78: Incumbent Rep. Shelia Stubbs will face Republican Henry Johnson, a college student at UW-Madison.
Assembly District 79: Incumbent Rep. Lisa Subeck will face Republican John Fons.
Assembly District 80: Incumbent Rep. Mike Bare will face Republican Simran Arora.
Assembly District 81: Incumbent Rep. Alex Joers will face Republican Mark S. Maier.
County
Dane County Sheriff
Sheriff Kalvin Barrett is running for re-election. He was appointed in 2021 and handily won the seat over a Republican challenger in 2022, but this time he has a different challenge: he’s being primaried by a Democrat. Jack Ordman, a software engineer and activist present during a Ridglan Farms raid on April 18, says the response from sheriff’s deputies was “wildly out of proportion” and puts the blame squarely at Barrett’s feet.
Dane County Clerk of Circuit Court
Clerks of court carry a variety of administrative responsibilities for circuit courts, including maintaining a court’s records and finances. Incumbent Jeff Okazaki is running unopposed for reelection.
Voting
Registering to vote
You need to be registered in order to vote. If you are unsure of your registration status, begin at MyVote Wisconsin.
If you’re not already registered, there are a few ways to do so: register online or by mail until July 22, in-person at an early voting site until August 7, or at your polling place the day of the primary, Aug. 11. State law prevents residents from registering to vote on the Saturday, Sunday or Monday before an election.
You may be registered to vote in-person at your clerk’s office, but the Madison Clerk’s office cannot register voters while it is operating in-person absentee voting, which begins July 28.
You need to be registered at your current residence. If you moved since you last voted but before July 14, then you’ll need to re-register to vote at your new address. If you’ve recently moved — that is, you’ve lived at your new residence for less than 28 days — you can vote under your former address and do not need to re-register yet.
In order to register, you will need to show 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-Madison 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 utility bill digitally.
I need a photo ID
You need to present photo identification in order to vote. A drivers license, photo ID card, or passport that’s unexpired, or expired after Nov. 5, 2024, are all acceptable. The Madison clerk’s office outlines the acceptable forms of photo ID for voting.
You can petition for a free ID card from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, even if you don’t have enough documentation to qualify for a driver's license or ID card. The DOT has more information, along with a hotline: 844-588-1069.
The League of Women Voters of Dane County offers information on getting an ID from the DMV, and some transportation assistance to the DMV in some instances. Call 608-285-2141.
Receiving and returning your absentee ballot
You don’t need to state a reason to request an absentee ballot. Once you’re registered, you have until Aug. 6 at 5 p.m. to request that a ballot be sent to you, though you’re encouraged to request a ballot as soon as possible to have time to receive, complete, and return your ballot by Aug. 11.
Your absentee ballot must be returned with enough time to be counted by Election Day. While other states allow ballots postmarked before Election Day to be counted after Election Day, Wisconsin is not one of them. The Wisconsin Elections Commission has updated guidance here. here.
The city of Madison began mailing absentee ballots on June 25 to voters with current requests to mail a ballot on file. You can send your ballot back in the mail, but give yourself plenty of time, as it can take up to a week to be received by the clerk’s office, and absentee ballots must be received by 8 p.m. the day of the primary, Aug. 11, in order to be counted.
From July 21 until 5 p.m. on Aug. 10, Madison voters can return their ballots to one of the secure ballot dropboxes across the city. The dropboxes are checked each day by a pair of election officials.
You can also return your absentee ballot to your polling place, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Aug. 11. You may not return someone else’s ballot unless you are assisting a voter with a disability. If you take ballots to the polls, the election officials have a script to read to confirm this point.
Voting early
Early voting in Wisconsin opens two weeks before Election Day — it starts Tuesday, July 28, and runs through Sunday, Aug. 9. Locations and hours will vary based on municipality.
In Madison, early voting (also known as in-person absentee voting) is available July 28 through Aug. 8 at dozens of locations throughout the city, including libraries, churches and community centers, and at the Madison Municipal Building. Hours vary based on location.
Voting on Aug. 11
To vote in-person on Election Day you will need to bring a photo ID, which does not need to show your current address. You can also register to vote at your polling place — you’ll still need proof of identity and proof of residence.
MyVote Wisconsin 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. — if you’re in line by 8 p.m., stay in line and you’ll be able to vote.
You can prepare and bring notes about who you want to vote for into the booth. You can take and share photos of yourself voting. You can’t show your marked ballot to others or discuss voting plans at your polling place. And while it’s complicated, you really shouldn’t take a selfie with your ballot.
There may be election observers at your polling place. Anyone except a candidate can observe voting at a polling place. Observers must register with a polling place official, who may also limit where the observer may be in the polling place. Observers may not disrupt the voting process.
Other frequently asked questions
What is the fall partisan primary? How is it different from other elections?
A primary whittles down the field of candidates. In a partisan primary, candidates run for one party’s nomination. If that candidate wins in August, they’ll appear again on the November ballot and will face off with other candidates nominated by other parties (occasionally, a major party may not run a candidate for office at all).
Wisconsin has an “open primary,” meaning you can vote in any party’s primary, regardless of previous or future voting behavior. However, you must pick only one party and vote only for candidates in that party across your entire ballot.
What is going to be on my ballot?
MyVote Wisconsin has a tool to preview your ballot here. Ballotpedia also has an interactive tool to preview your ballot. The League of Women Voters maintains Vote411.org, which allows you to see races and candidates on your ballot, and notes candidates who have dropped out ahead of the primary. If you’re curious about all the state and federal races in the state, the Wisconsin Elections Commission has prepared this pdf.
I just moved. Where do I vote?
Wisconsin state statute requires you to be a resident for 28 days prior to voting in a district. In most cases, if you moved after July 14, 2026, then you’ll want to vote from your immediate previous address. If you moved before July 14, you’ll need to register to vote at your new address.
I am involved in the carceral system. Can I vote?
It depends. If you have been convicted of a felony, you can vote once you are “off paper” — that means you have completed probation, parole, or extended supervision. If you have been charged but not yet convicted, you can vote. You still must register to vote.
If you have been convicted of a misdemeanor you can still vote in most instances, even if you are incarcerated. The Wisconsin ACLU addresses more situations for justice-involved people.
I need help getting to the polls.
If you’re in Madison, Union Cab provides free rides to the polls on Election Day only. Rides are only available from home to polling place to home. These cannot be scheduled in advance. Call 608-242-2000 on Election Day for a ride.
The city of Fitchburg Senior Center can provide free rides to the polls for Fitchburg residents age 60 or older, on Election Day. You need to schedule your ride before Election Day. Call 608-270-4290.
I need other help with voting.
The League of Women Voters provides resources (en español) on voter eligibility and registration. They provide help in Spanish or English on general voting questions through their helpline: 608-285-2141.
Wisconsin has some of the most decentralized elections of any state in the country. There are more than 1,800 local election clerks. One of them is your local municipal clerk, who is typically happy to answer your specific voting question. Look up your local clerk here.
The Wisconsin Elections Commission launched the Election Information Hub in spring 2026. It provides a detailed calendar of dates and deadlines, election resources, statistics and data, a FAQ, and more explainers. Their Voter Information Center is also helpful.
Previewing your ballot and researching candidates
MyVote Wisconsin allows you to preview what’s on your ballot based on your address. The League of Women Voters helps operate Vote411.org, which also allows you to see the candidates on your ballot.
Ballotpedia also offers a ballot lookup tool in English and Spanish. They also have compiled a guide to the fall primary and general election. They have long-offered candidates the opportunity to answer questionnaires.
Wisconsin Watch has compiled a voting guide for federal and state candidates. Simply enter your address to find information about the candidates.
Wisconsin Public Radio surveyed listeners for questions, then posed those questions to candidates for governor and the U.S. House of Representatives. You can read their answers in this voting guide.
For the Democratic primary for governor, The Capital Times profiled each candidate: Joel Brennan, Francesca Hong, Kelda Roys, and David Crowley.
For the race for governor, a variety of organizations have hosted forums, and recorded footage from those forums is available from Citizen Action of Wisconsin; a coalition of labor unions and workers’ organizations; Voces de la Frontera; WISDOM (on carceral issues), Wisconsin Environmental Future (part one and part two); and the Wisconsin Muslim Civic Alliance and Foundation.
The city of Madison’s Know Your Candidates series has interviewed the candidates for U.S. House District 2 Representative: (Mark Pocan and Douglas Alexander), Dane County sheriff (Jack Ordman and Kalvin Barrett), and Assembly District 76 (Juliana Bennett, Zoe Sullivan, Dina Nina Martinez-Rutherford, Isaia Ben-Ami and Tony Castaneda).
In Assembly District 76, which has a crowded Democratic field, Isthmus outlined the race in May and moderated a candidate forum in June.
Who is funding the candidates?
County candidates’ campaign finance reports are here.
Campaign finance reports covering the first half of 2026 were due July 15. You can search them using Sunshine, the state’s new campaign finance system.
Federal campaign finance reports are searchable at the Federal Elections Commission. The nonpartisan group OpenSecrets also maintains an easy-to-use database to track campaign contributions for federal and state candidates.
