MADISON — Wisconsin residents who need to register to vote for the April 7 Spring Election can now use MyVote.WI.gov to register online until March 30, according to the Wisconsin Elections Commission.
Voters must be registered before they can request an absentee ballot, so reopening online registration was ordered by a federal court in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The absolute deadline for most voters to request an absentee ballot is Thursday, April 2, but Meagan Wolfe, Wisconsin chief elections official said voters should not wait until then due to the high volume of requests and potential mail delivery issues. The USPS is recommending giving at least a week to return a ballot by mail. If the name or address has changed since registration, information will need to be updated. Check registration status at myvote.wi.gov, click on “My Voter Info.”
Reopening of online voter registration follows a federal court order on March 20 and several days of work by the WEC to change and test the MyVote Wisconsin website’s code, Wolfe said. Online registration was restored early Wednesday morning, followed by monitoring before this announcement. Because of the expedited timeframe for implementing and testing this change, there is the potential for slowness or outages if there is heavy traffic to the system.
Court for the Western District of Wisconsin, online registration to vote was extended until March 30 for the April 7 Spring Election and Presidential Primary only.
The primary purpose of this extension is to facilitate voting by absentee ballots for those who may no longer wish to or who are unable to vote in person during the absentee voting period due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Those who are not currently registered in the State of Wisconsin may register through the MyVote Wisconsin website. Registering online requires a valid Wisconsin driver’s license or state ID card. The address, name, date of birth and driver license number used to register to vote must match information that DMV has on file. Address updates can be done online.
To obtain an absentee ballot, complete the online registration process if you are not already registered, and request that an absentee ballot be mailed through the MyVote Wisconsin website or through a written request submitted to the municipal clerk.
When requesting an absentee ballot through MyVote, submit a copy of a photo ID electronically through the MyVote site. Photo ID must also be submitted by a first-time absentee voter if the request is made by other written means. The photo ID may be a Wisconsin driver license or State ID card, a U.S. passport or certificate of naturalization, a military ID or veterans identification card, or a student ID card issued by a Wisconsin accredited university or college.
