Can I vote absentee and/or how do I register to vote in my home state? Plan ahead as deadlines and requirements vary state by state.
Yes, you may instead decide to vote absentee using your home address, either in Wisconsin or another state. To learn more about absentee voting, visit Wisconsin Elections Commission or your hometown’s election commission website.
Please note: eligible voters can only vote once in an election. For example, if you are from Illinois and vote absentee in a Presidential or Congressional Election you cannot also vote in-person in Wisconsin.
Each state has its own laws and deadlines for voter registration and absentee voting. Please check with your home state for guidelines regarding voter registration, absentee voting and deadlines for these activities.
Note: If you are from a state that requires your absentee ballot to be notarized, Union Station in the AMU has notary services available. Contect Union Station to make and appointment to get your ballot notarized at (414) 288-7213 or contact the AMU Info Desk at (414) 288- 7250.
A list of states that required notarized absentee ballots can be found here.
What are the Wisconsin Voter Eligibility Requirements?
Voting in Wisconsin is limited to U.S. citizens who are at least 18 years old on Election Day, who have not been convicted of a felony (unless the citizen’s right to vote has been restored), and are residents for 28 consecutive days or more of the district or ward where an election is being held. The State of Wisconsin also requires eligible voters to have a voter ID, as well as follow some other requirements listed below.
All eligible Wisconsin voters, including students, must show an acceptable photo ID to receive a ballot. Marquette’s Voter IDs are acceptable, please note a Marquette ID card is not an acceptable Voter ID card. Assuming current students meet all of the eligibility requirements to vote in Wisconsin, students can apply for their Marquette Voter ID Card in Union Station, located in the lower level of the Alumni Memorial Union. Students must present their current valid Marquette ID card to obtain a Marquette Voter ID Card.
Eligible voters will also be asked to sign their name in the poll book per Wisconsin Election Law requirements.
Current students can also vote using a special Marquette Voter ID Card. Assuming current students meet all of the eligibility requirements to vote in Wisconsin, students can apply for their Marquette Voter ID Card in Union Station, located in the lower level of the Alumni Memorial Union. Students must present their current valid Marquette ID card to obtain a Marquette Voter ID Card.
Union Station hours for fall will be:
PLEASE NOTE: The MU Voter ID card will list whatever your chosen/preferred name is in CheckMarq. Your Account Fee Statement is going to list your legal name, and the names on these two documents must match to register to vote. Thus, please update your CheckMarq name accordingly.
If I am a Wisconsin resident what do I need to do or bring to register to vote?
Assuming current students meet all of the eligibility requirements to vote in Wisconsin, multiple pieces of information are required for students to register to vote. Check the My Vote Wisconsin website to check if you have previously registered to vote and/or if you need to input your information or update your voter information. Options for registering include online registration (for those eligible); by mail; in person; or at your polling place on Election Day.
Students who have been issued a Wisconsin driver license or Wisconsin Department of Transportation State ID Card that is current and valid must provide the number and expiration date when they register to vote (they do not have to have the physical card, just the information). Students may call the Wisconsin Department of Transportation’s Division of Motor Vehicles at (608) 266-2353 to have the number and expiration date confirmed.
If a student has had their Wisconsin driver license revoked, suspended or expired – or their Wisconsin Department of Transportation-issued State ID Card is expired – they will need to provide the last 4 digits of their Social Security number.
Wisconsin residents must also provide a proof of residence document when registering to vote in Wisconsin. A proof of residence document is a form that proves where you live in Wisconsin. Marquette students can use the Voter ID Fee Statement on CheckMarq, which includes the student’s address.
If you have not been issued a Wisconsin driver license or Wisconsin Department of Transportation-issued State ID Card, you must provide the last 4 digits of your Social Security number. If you have none of these documents, you will be able to indicate that fact.
How and and where do I get a Marquette Voter ID card?
Current students can also vote using a special Marquette Voter ID Card. Assuming current students meet all of the eligibility requirements to vote in Wisconsin, students can apply for their Marquette Voter ID Card in Union Station, located in the lower level of the Alumni Memorial Union. Students must present their current valid Marquette ID card to obtain a Marquette Voter ID Card.
Union Station hours for fall 2022 will be:
NOTE: your Marquette Voter ID will default to your chosen/preferred name in CheckMarq. Your fee statement will reflect your legal name. These names need to match to have a valid registration. THUS, make sure your voter ID card reflects your legal name. (You may have to change your chosen/preferred name in CheckMarq.)
If I am originally a non-Wisconsin resident do I have to vote absentee in my home state?
No, you may register to vote in Wisconsin if you have been a resident for 28 days and meet the other criteria. Marquette will count the residency period from the first day of class. Though you do not have to vote absentee, the Wisconsin Elections Commission and many other states are encouraging voters to do so because of the pandemic.
How do I register to Vote in Wisconsin? What are the deadlines and methods to register to vote in Wisconsin?
Under Wisconsin law, a proof of residence document is always needed when registering to vote. If students have registered to vote in the past they can verify that the address and polling location match their current address online.
If a student previously registered but has since moved, the student needs to re-register to vote. You need to reregister even if you live in the same residence hall or apartment building but have moved to a different dorm room or apartment within the building. In Wisconsin, eligible voters must reside at their address, including a change in apartment or residence hall number, for at least 28 days by Election Day in order to register to vote in that election district or ward.
Check the My Vote Wisconsin website to check if you have previously registered to vote and/or if you need to input your information or update your voter information. Options for registering include online registration (for those eligible); by mail; in person; or at your polling place on Election Day.
Students who have been issued a Wisconsin driver license or Wisconsin Department of Transportation State ID Card that is current and valid must provide the number and expiration date when they register to vote (they do not have to have the physical card, just the information). Students may call the Wisconsin Department of Transportation’s Division of Motor Vehicles at (608) 266-2353 to have the number and expiration date confirmed.
If a student has had their Wisconsin driver license revoked, suspended or expired – or their Wisconsin Department of Transportation-issued State ID Card is expired – they will need to provide the last 4 digits of their Social Security number.
Wisconsin residents must also provide a proof of residence document when registering to vote in Wisconsin. A proof of residence document is a form that proves where you live in Wisconsin. Marquette students can use the Voter ID Fee Statement on CheckMarq, which includes the student’s address.
If you have not been issued a Wisconsin driver license or Wisconsin Department of Transportation-issued State ID Card, you must provide the last 4 digits of your Social Security number. If you have none of these documents, you will be able to indicate that fact.
The Wisconsin Elections Commission has indicated that electronic copies of a current or expired MU Voter ID Cards (This is not the same as your Marquette ID Card, please see the Marquette Voter ID Card section) combined with a Voter ID Fee Statement of your current address can be used to register to vote only. Electronic copies of an MU Voter ID Card or an expired Marquette Voter ID Card combined with a current fee statement receipt cannot be used to vote in Wisconsin. For currently enrolled students with an expired Marquette Voter ID Card, please use the Voter ID Fee Statement on CheckMarq, which includes the student’s address, to vote.
In Wisconsin, if you are registering to vote, you will need to provide documentation proving your residency. There are 4 ways to register to vote in Wisconsin:
The Wisconsin Elections Commission is encouraging eligible voters in Wisconsin to please request your absentee ballot as soon as possible by visiting myvote.wi.gov.
What are acceptable Voter IDs to Vote in Wisconsin?
These are acceptable for voting purposes, and can be unexpired or expired after the date of the most recent general election (currently, expired after 11/03/2020):
Please note, for currently enrolled Marquette students, this is not your Marquette ID Card, but a Marquette Voter ID Card. Please see more information in the Marquette Voter ID Card section.
The Wisconsin Elections Commission has created the chart below to better determine what is needed with respect to a Student Voter ID for the purposes of voting in Wisconsin (Please note, at Marquette, the Marquette Voter ID Card is not the regular student ID card).
|
Student Voter ID Expired? |
Proof of Enrollment? |
Does this work as photo ID? |
|
No |
Not necessary |
Yes |
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Yes |
No |
No |
These photo IDs are also acceptable for voting purposes, but must be unexpired:
What are acceptable Proof of Residence Documents in Wisconsin?
Under 2013 Wisconsin Act 182, which became effective on April 4, 2014, ALL eligible Wisconsin voters must provide a document establishing their proof of residence as part of the voter registration application.
All proof of residence documents must contain voter’s current name and address.
If I am going to vote in-person on Election Day in Wisconsin how do I find my polling location? What do I need to bring with me to the polling location on Election Day?
Wisconsin’s Voter Laws require both Proof of Residence documents and an acceptable Voter ID Card.
If a student previously registered but has since moved, the student needs to re-register to vote. You need to reregister even if you live in the same residence hall or apartment building but have moved to a different dorm room or apartment within the building. In Wisconsin, eligible voters must reside at their address, including a change in apartment or residence hall number, for at least 28 days by Election Day in order to register to vote in that election district or ward.
Under 2013 Wisconsin Act 182, which became effective on April 4, 2014, ALL eligible Wisconsin voters must provide a document establishing their proof of residence as part of the voter registration application.
All proof of residence documents must contain voter’s current name and address.
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