Community members provide free coffee and donuts outside of Washington High School during the 2020 election season. As the 2024 general election approaches, Milwaukeeans have a number of ways to make sure their vote counts. (NNS file photo by Sue Vliet)
By Meredith Melland and
PrincessSafiya Byers
This story was originally published by Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service, where you can find other stories reporting on fifteen city neighborhoods in Milwaukee. Visit milwaukeenns.org.
This year’s general election is Tuesday, Nov. 5. On the ballot, voters will have the opportunity to choose their lawmakers, including seats in the Senate and House of Representatives, and the president of the United States.
Here’s everything you need to know to make sure your vote counts this year:
How to register
In order to participate in the general election, Milwaukee residents should make sure they’re registered to vote.
If you are registered but changed your home address since the last time you voted, changed your name or not voted in the past four years, you will need to update your registration.
The deadline to register online or by mail is Oct. 16.
But you can register to vote in person at your local municipal clerk’s office until Nov.1. Click here to find your municipal clerk location. You will need a proof of residence document, such as a bill.
If you plan to vote in person on Nov. 5, you can also register to vote at your polling place on Election Day. At this location, you can cast your ballot or register to vote until 8 p.m. This will require a valid photo ID and a proof of residence document.
How to vote by mail
Any voter can request a mail-in absentee ballot.
To vote by mail, or absentee mail-in ballot, submit a written request to the clerk’s office with a valid copy of your photo ID to absenteeballot@milwaukee.gov; apply online at MyVote; or download an application and mail it to Absentee Ballot Request, Milwaukee Election Commission, 200 E Wells St., Room 501, Milwaukee, WI 53202.
Permanently overseas, indefinitely confined or military voters are not required to submit photo IDs on absentee ballot applications and may have different deadlines.
Oct. 31, or the Thursday before the election, is the final day to request an absentee ballot from your clerk. The request must be submitted by 5 p.m.
The Election Commission recommends returning a ballot by mail at least eight days before an election. You can also return a mail-in ballot at an early voting center or dropbox or at your polling place on Election Day.
Here’s what you need to know for early voting
Early in-person voting starts on Tuesday, Oct. 22 in Milwaukee at 10 different locations, according to the Milwaukee Election Commission. Each voting location has different hours, so check the hours before arriving.
North Side:
Capitol Drive Voting Center, 6001 W. Capitol Drive
Milwaukee Public Library – Good Hope Branch, 7715 Good Hope Road
Clinton Rose Senior Center, 3045 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive
Central/West Side:
Frank P. Zeidler Municipal Building, 841 N. Broadway
Milwaukee Area Technical College S Building, 700 W. State St.
Milwaukee Public Library – Washington Park Branch, 2121 N. Sherman Blvd.
South Side:
American Serb Hall, 5101 W. Oklahoma Ave.
Milwaukee Public Library Mitchell Street Branch, 906 W. Historic Mitchell St.
Milwaukee Public LIbrary Tippecanoe Branch, 3912 S. Howell Ave.
East Side:
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Helene Zelazo Center for the Performing Arts, 2419 E. Kenwood Blvd.
Early voting sites will be open until Sunday, Nov. 3, although the Zelazo Center early voting site will close on Nov. 2 and 3, and some of the other locations do not have Sunday hours.
View a map and hours on the city’s website.
What documentation do you need to vote?
Wisconsin voter identification laws require most voters to present a photo ID. Accepted forms of photo IDs can include:
- A valid Wisconsin driver’s license (even if driving privileges are revoked)
- A state-issued ID card
- A military ID card
- A valid U.S. passport
- An ID card used by a federally recognized Native American tribe
- A Veteran Affairs ID card
- A certificate of naturalization issued no earlier than two years before the date of the election
- A photo ID from a Wisconsin accredited college, university or trade school (must include date the card was issued, signature of student and a document that proves enrollment)
There are some exceptions. Voters in the military, people living permanently overseas and confidential electors do not have to provide a photo ID to get an absentee ballot.
Similarly, voters that are indefinitely confined in nursing homes or care facilities do not need to show a photo ID but do need a signature from a witness in order to obtain an absentee ballot.
What’s on the ballot?
The 2024 general election ballot includes the presidential candidates, a Senate race and other state and local seats.
Find a sample ballot in Milwaukee here, or for any part of Wisconsin on MyVote, by entering your address.
There will also be a state referendum question on the eligibility of noncitizens to vote, which is explained in more detail in this Votebeat story.
Resources
The Milwaukee Election Commission is accepting applications for poll workers on a rolling basis and encourages anyone interested to apply as soon as they can.
Milwaukee area voters have easier access to voter resources, thanks to the civic engagement group Souls to the Polls. The group provides door-to-door service from your door to the polls. For a ride, you can call 414-742-1060.
Other groups that provide voting resources include the League of Women Voters of Milwaukee County and VoteRiders Wisconsin, which can help people obtain voter IDs.
Meredith Melland is the neighborhoods reporter for the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service and a corps member of Report for America, a national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues and communities. Report for America plays no role in editorial decisions in the NNS newsroom.