City Clerk's Office

Many voters may be planning a vacation for mid-August. Plan ahead to request an absentee ballot for the August 14 Primary Election!

The City Clerk’s Office is mailing absentee ballots now, and will continue mailing ballots through August 9. Absentee ballots must be received back in the Clerk’s office in time for delivery to the polls on Election Day.

The easiest way to request that the Clerk’s Office mail you an absentee ballot is to submit a request online at https://MyVote.wi.gov. Click on Vote Absentee at the top of the webpage, and the website will walk you through the application process. 

Voters confined to their home due to age or disability may request an absentee ballot for every election subsequent to today’s date. These voters do not need to provide an ID. Requests may be submitted online at https://MyVote.wi.gov.

In the August Primary, each political party narrows down its candidates for the November ballot. For this election, you may vote for candidates in only one political party of your choice. Wisconsin has run its fall primary elections this way since the early 1900s.

Your voter registration is not associated with a political party. The Clerk’s Office doesn’t know which party you choose. You vote on a secret ballot.

To mark your ballot:
1. Choose one party in the party preference section at the top of your ballot.
2. Find that party’s section on the ballot.
3. Select the individual candidates of your choice within that party.

In-person absentee voting for City of Madison residents is available in the City Clerk’s Office weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and will be available at Madison Public Library locations and Streets East beginning July 30. Voters who live outside of the City of Madison should check with their municipal clerk for in-person absentee voting hours and locations.