Tom Barrett
On Monday, Oct. 13, Mayor Tom Barrett, Election Commissioner Neil Albrecht, and Milwaukee Public Library Director Paula Kiely discussed final preparation plans for the Nov. 4 General Election at the Villard Avenue Public Library.
“With the removal of voter ID as an unnecessary roadblock to a fair election, the city is now able to focus on some very important aspects of election administration and encouraging strong voter participation,” said Mayor Barrett.
“Voter registration is the first step to voting, and with the rapidly approaching deadline for open registration this coming Wednesday, we want to encourage any Milwaukee residents needing to complete this step to do it this week.”
Open registration is the period during which individuals needing to register can complete the process through the mail or through a voter registration drive. After Wednesday, Oct. 15, individuals have two remaining options for registration: during in-person “early” absentee voting or at their polling place on Election Day.
“To support the registration of our residents, I have encouraged collaboration between city departments, including the opportunity to register over the next three days at any Milwaukee Public Library,” said Paula Kiely, Milwaukee Public Libraries Director.
“We have trained staff at each branch to register people, identify their voting sites and answer any questions they may still have related to voting.”
Final preparations are also underway for Milwaukee’s in-person “early” absentee voting.
“Early voting has become a national trend.
People enjoy the peace of mind that comes from casting their ballots early. In Milwaukee, over 37,000 people voted early in Nov. 2012, and we anticipate a comparable number in this election,” said Neil Albrecht, Milwaukee Election Commissioner.
For City of Milwaukee residents, early voting will take place at the Zeidler Municipal Building, 841 N. Broadway, beginning Oct. 20 and running through Oct. 31.
The hours for voting are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. until 7 p.m., the maximum hours allowable by a newly passed state law that restricts hours for early voting.
The City of Milwaukee is also still hiring election workers.
With a goal of overstaffing each voting site in anticipation of a high voter turnout, Albrecht identifies the department may still hire an additional 150-200 election workers.
Election workers are paid $130 for working a full day, or $65 for working a half day.
Residents interested in working on Election Day should visit www.milwaukee.gov/helpmilwaukeevote.