Election 2024: What you need to know to vote in the November 5 election

This year’s general election will take place on Tuesday, November 5th. On the ballot, voters have the opportunity to choose their representatives, including seats in the Senate and House of Representatives, as well as the President of the United States.

Here’s everything you need to know to make sure your vote counts this year:

How to register

To participate in the general election, Milwaukee residents should ensure they are eligible to vote.

If you are registered but have changed your home address since you last voted, changed your name, or have not voted in the last four years, you will need to update your registration.

The deadline for registration online or by post is October 16th.

However, you can register to vote in person at your local municipal office until November 1st. Click here to find the location of your community clerk. You need proof of residence, such as an invoice.

If you plan to vote in person on November 5, you can also register to vote at your polling place on Election Day. There you can cast your vote or register to vote until 8:00 p.m. To do this, you will need a valid photo ID and proof of residence.

How to vote by postal vote

Any voter can request an absentee ballot by mail.

To vote by mail or absentee ballot, send a written request to the clerk’s office with a valid copy of your photo ID to [email protected]. Apply online at MyVote; Or download a request and mail it to Absentee Ballot Request, Milwaukee Election Commission, 200 E Wells St., Room 501, Milwaukee, WI 53202.

Permanent overseas voters, indefinitely confined voters, or military voters are not required to provide photo identification with absentee ballot applications and may have different deadlines.

October 31, or the Thursday before the election, is the last day to request an absentee ballot from your clerk. The application must be submitted by 5 p.m

The Election Commission recommends that ballot papers be returned by mail at least eight days before an election. You can also return a mail-in ballot at an early voting center or drop box or at your polling place on Election Day.

Here’s what you need to know about early voting:

According to the Milwaukee Election Commission, early in-person voting begins on Tuesday, October 22nd in Milwaukee at ten different locations. Each voting location has different opening hours. Please check the opening times before you arrive.

North side:

Capitol Drive Voting Center, 6001 W. Capitol Drive

Milwaukee Public Library – Good Hope Branch, 7715 Good Hope Road

Clinton Rose Senior Center, 3045 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Drive

Central/West side:

Frank P. Zeidler Municipal Building, 841 N. Broadway

Milwaukee Area Technical College S Building, 700 W. State St.

Milwaukee Public Library – Washington Park Branch, 2121 N. Sherman Blvd.

South side:

American Serb Hall, 5101 W. Oklahoma Ave.

Milwaukee Public Library Mitchell Street Branch, 906 W. Historic Mitchell St.

Milwaukee Public Library Tippecanoe Branch, 3912 S. Howell Ave.

East side:

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Helene Zelazo Center for the Performing Arts, 2419 E. Kenwood Blvd.

Early voting sites will be open through Sunday, November 3rd, although the early voting site at the Zelazo Center will be closed on November 2nd and 3rd and some of the other locations will not have Sunday hours.

A map and opening hours can be found on the city’s website.

What documents do you need to vote?

Wisconsin voter identification laws require most voters to provide photo ID. Accepted forms of photo ID may include:

• A valid Wisconsin driver’s license (even if the license is revoked)
• A government-issued ID card
• A military ID
• A valid US passport
• An identification card used by a federally recognized Indian tribe
• A veteran’s ID card
• A certificate of naturalization issued no earlier than two years before Election Day
• A photo identification card from a Wisconsin-accredited college, university, or trade school (must include the date the card was issued, the student’s signature, and a document proving enrollment)

There are some exceptions. Military voters, permanent expatriates and confidential voters are not required to provide a photo ID to receive an absentee ballot.

Likewise, voters who are indefinitely confined to nursing homes or nursing facilities are not required to show photo ID, but will need the signature of a witness to receive an absentee ballot.

What’s on the ballot?

The 2024 general election ballot includes the presidential candidates, a Senate race and other state and local seats.

Find a sample ballot in Milwaukee here or for any part of Wisconsin on MyVote by entering your address.

There will also be a state referendum question on non-citizen voting rights, which is explained in more detail in this Votebeat story.

resources

The Milwaukee Election Commission is continually accepting applications for poll worker positions and encourages anyone interested to apply as soon as possible.

Thanks to the civic engagement group Souls to the Polls, voters in the Milwaukee area have easier access to voter resources. The group offers door-to-door service from your door to the polling stations. For a ride you can call 414-742-1060.

Other groups providing voting resources include the League of Women Voters of Milwaukee County and VoteRiders Wisconsin, which can help people obtain voter ID cards.

Election observation 2024

Young black and brown Milwaukeeans are voting

There is an election coming up. Here’s what you need to know:

Important Wisconsin election dates to keep in mind

For more information about voting, including finding your district, visit Wisconsin Watch 2024 Voter Guide.

Meredith Melland is the neighborhood reporter for the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service and a corps member Report for Americaa nationwide service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues and communities. Report for America has no role in editorial decisions in the NNS newsroom.