City Clerk's Office

The Madison City Clerk’s Office would like voters to know ten things for this Tuesday’s election:

1. You may vote in only one political party’s primary on the August ballot. This Tuesday five political parties will narrow down their candidates for the November Election. You are limited to voting in the primary of only one political party of your choice. To mark your ballot, choose a political party, find that party’s section on the ballot, and vote for individual candidates in that party.
2. Your voter registration is not associated with a political party. The Clerk’s Office does not have a record of which party you prefer. Nobody will be able to identify which ballot was marked by you. You vote on a secret ballot.
3. If you are moving out on Election Day, vote from the address you lived at for ten consecutive days prior to Election Day. It takes ten days to establish residency for voting purposes. If you move within ten days of an election, you should vote from your previous address. College students just now returning to Madison after being temporarily away this summer may be voting from the campus address they had last spring. Contact the Clerk’s Office if you are unsure of where you are eligible to vote.
4. The address on your Voter ID does not matter. When checking Voter ID, poll workers are only verifying your identity. They are not checking the address on your ID.
5. Don’t let a lack of Voter ID keep you from going to the polls. Voters without acceptable ID may vote provisionally. Provisional voters have until 4 p.m. Friday, August 17, to get a copy of their ID to the Clerk’s Office. The Dane County Voter ID Coalition can help you obtain a free Wisconsin ID. Their hotline is 608-285-2141.
6. There is no requirement that your Voter ID meet federal REAL ID requirements. If you renewed your Wisconsin driver license or Wisconsin ID and did not have all the certified documents required for a REAL ID, the DMV would have informed you that your new ID is “non-compliant” with the REAL ID Act of 2005. Even if your Wisconsin ID says “Not for federal purposes,” it is acceptable for proving your identity at the polls.
7. Certain types of Voter ID can be expired. If you are using a Wisconsin driver license, a Wisconsin ID, a U.S. passport, or a military ID to prove your identity at the polls, the ID can have an expiration date of 11-9-2016 or later.
8. Proof of address is only needed when you are registering to vote or updating your voter registration. Unless you have moved since you last voted or last registered to vote, you will just need to state your name and address at the poll book, show your Voter ID, and sign the poll book. If you have changed your name, don’t update your voter registration until you obtain an ID with that new name. If you are registering to vote at the polls on Election Day, your proof of address may be shown in an electronic format, e.g., bringing up your library LINKcat account on your cell phone or showing poll workers your online utility bill.
9. Some polling places have changed. To verify your polling location, visit www.cityofmadison.com/WhereDoIVote.
10. Do not hesitate to contact the Clerk’s Office. If you have a question or encounter a problem at your polling place, please let us know right away at voting@cityofmadison.com or 608-266-4601.