Absentee ballots for City of Madison voters who have a request on file are out in the mail.

Voters are encouraged to ensure their absentee ballot certificate envelope is sealed and complete before returning it to the City Clerk’s Office. A complete absentee certificate envelope will include:

1. Voter signature: The voter signature is present on the Signature of Voter line. If the voter requires an assistant to sign the envelope for them, the assistant signs the voter’s name on the Voter Signature line and signs their own name on the Signature of Assistant line near the bottom of the envelope.
2. Witness signature: The voter’s witness signs their name on the Signature of Witness line.
3. Witness address: We encourage voters to have their witness write out their complete address: street number, street name, municipality (city, town or village name), state, and zip code. PO boxes are not acceptable as a witness address on an absentee certificate.

An absentee voter must return their own completed absentee ballot. The following is a list of options for returning absentee ballots:

• The absentee voter places their completed absentee ballot in the mail to be returned to the City Clerk’s Office.
• The absentee voter hand-delivers their completed absentee ballot to an election official at any in-person absentee voting location. In-person absentee voting begins Tuesday, Oct. 25.
• The absentee voter hand-delivers their completed absentee ballot to personnel in the City Clerk’s Office or hand-delivers their completed absentee ballot to the City Clerk before in-person absentee voting begins on Tuesday, Oct. 25.
• The absentee voter hand-delivers their completed absentee ballot to their polling place on Election Day by 8:00pm. Voters can look up their polling place at https://myvote.wi.gov/en-us/Find-My-Polling-Place.

Pursuant to the Voting Rights Act, any Wisconsin voter who requires assistance with mailing or delivering their absentee ballot to the municipal clerk because of a disability must be permitted to receive such assistance by a person of the voter’s choice, other than the voter’s employer or agent of that employer or officer or agent of the voter’s union. This Opinion and Order, as well as Permanent Injunction and Declaration, was entered by the United States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin on August 30, 2022.

The use of absentee ballot drop boxes is prohibited. The City of Madison drop boxes remain locked.

Voters may not drop their completed absentee ballot in any of the drop boxes outside of the City-County Building or the Madison Municipal Building. Those drop boxes are not monitored by City Clerk’s Office staff. Staff from Dane County agencies or other City of Madison agencies cannot return absentee ballots for anyone other than themselves.

Absentee ballots must be returned by 8:00pm on Election Day to be counted. Absentee voters are encouraged to return their completed absentee ballot as soon as possible. If a voter plans to vote absentee by mail for the November 8 General Election, they should request their absentee ballot as soon as possible. Absentee requests can be made in writing to the City Clerk’s Office or online at MyVote.WI.gov.