City Clerk's Office

Here are some questions and answers from the most recent webinar and live training sessions. Questions may be submitted to clerk@cityofmadison.com.

Does the webinar fulfill my training requirement?
Yes, it does.  Make sure you check the box indicating you watched the webinar when you complete the payroll sheet at your polling place on Election Day.

What is the link for the webinar?
Go this link to watch the webinar.  The same link can be used to watch a replay of the webinar.

How recent must proof of residence be for someone who is registering to vote?
If the proof of residence contains an expiration date (e.g., a driver license), it cannot be expired. If the proof of residence is a residential lease, it must be in effect on Election Day. If the proof of residence is a utility bill, it needs to be from within the past 90 days.  Other than that, there are no restrictions on how old a proof of residence document can be.

If someone is homeless, are they allowed to vote? 
Yes. If someone doesn't have a traditional street address, they use the diagram found in question 8 on the voter registration form to indicate where they return each day in reference to nearby streets or landmarks so the Clerk's Office can place that location on a map. Proof of residence can be an affidavit from any social service agency providing services to the homeless; this would be a letter on the agency's letterhead, describing the voter and where they reside. 

Where do we document that someone's name was misspelled on the poll book?
We have a form for poll list corrections (on yellow paper) in the chief inspector's binder.

If someone leaves without voting, are we to avoid mentioning their name in the Incident Log documentation?
You might not know the person's name in this situation, and that is okay. You can include someone's name in documentation as long as you are not linking a person's name to the ballot marked by that individual. If someone leaves the polling place without voting, we don't want to chase after them to make them give us their name.

Are retail store credit card statements acceptable as proof of residence?
Yes, the Wisconsin Elections Commission has ruled that retail credit card statements fall into the bank statement category for proving one's address when registering to vote.

Why do ID documents need to be dated after 11/6/2018?
State law says that a Wisconsin driver license, Wisconsin ID, passport, or military ID is acceptable as voter ID as long as the expiration date is later than the date of the last November election.  Our last November election was 11/6/2018.

Do expiration dates matter when a retired military ID is used as voter ID?
There are retired military ID cards with no expiration date.  If there is no expiration date, the ID is unexpired, and is acceptable.  There also are Wisconsin ID cards, issued to senior citizens, that do not expire.  Unexpired Wisconsin ID cards are acceptable forms of voter ID, as well.

Does a passport count as ID if there is no address on the passport?
Yes, passports are an acceptable form of voter ID even though they do not have a street address.  In fact, we aren't even looking at the street address listed on the types of voter ID that do show a street address.  The voter is proving their identity with voter ID, not their address.

How does the reverse directory work?
The reverse directory, found in your poll book table folder, is a list of everyone registered to vote in that ward, sorted by street address.  If someone says they are registered to vote but you cannot find them listed on the poll book or supplemental poll book, look up their address in the reverse directory.  If the Clerk's Office misspelled the voter's name, you will find the misspelling in the reverse directory.  You will then be able to locate the misspelled name in the poll book.  Use the yellow poll list corrections sheet to notify the Clerk's Office of the misspelling.  The voter should not have to reregister to vote because of a typographical error made by the Clerk's Office.

What is a second ballot?
If a voter makes a mistake when marking their ballot, they can get a replacement ballot.  We refer to this replacement ballot as their second ballot.  The voter partially tears their original ballot and places it in an envelope labeled "Discarded Ballots."  The voter keeps their original voter slip number, but we add a notation of "2nd ballot" to the margins of the poll book by that voter's name.  If the voter needs another replacement ballot, we would note "3rd ballot" on the poll book.  The voter gets up to three tries to mark their ballot.

Does each polling place have an official who speaks Spanish?
Many, but not all, polling places have an official who speaks Spanish.  If you need a translator for any language, refer to the language services card in the front inside pocket of your red resources binder at the polls.  Translators are available by phone at all times.

Can an online document be used for proof of address?
Yes, someone registering to vote can prove their address by showing you one of the acceptable types of documents on their phone, tablet, or laptop.

What is a provisional ballot?
A provisional ballot is a ballot that doesn't get counted on Election Day, but will be counted by the Board of Canvassers if the voter provides missing information to the Clerk's Office by 4 p.m. the Friday of election week.  You would issue a provisional ballot to a voter who does not have an acceptable type of voter ID with them at the polls.  You would also issue a provisional ballot if someone is registering to vote with proof of their address, they have a current & valid Wisconsin driver license, but they are either unable or unwilling to write down their Wisconsin driver license number on the registration form.