Wisconsin Registration, Absentee Ballot Deadlines For November

MILWAUKEE, WI — Voters in Wisconsin will take to the polls on Tuesday, Nov. 3, and an unprecedented number of absentee ballots will be counted in the 2020 presidential election.

During Wisconsin's April 7 election, the state saw 1.296 million absentee ballot requests amid the coronavirus pandemic's early stages in the state. Of those, Wisconsin Election Commission data shows that 1.284 million ballots were sent out, and 1.098 million of those ballots were returned.

Ahead of Wisconsin's November election, there are several absentee ballot deadlines to be aware of, including online registration, and the last practical day voters can mail in their absentee ballot to make sure it makes it to the local municipal clerk in time to be counted on Election Day.

Here is the timeline for Wisconsin voters by the Wisconsin Election Commission.

Early September: On Sep. 1, the Wisconsin Election Commission will mail information about voting in November to about 2.6 million registered Wisconsin voters who have not already requested an absentee ballot. The information packet will include an absentee request form and a postage-paid reply envelope.

Sep. 17: This is the deadline for Wisconsin’s city, village and town clerks to mail absentee ballots for Nov. 3 to registered voters with requests on file. This happens 47 days before the election.

Oct. 14: This is Wisconsin voters' last chance to register by mail or online. Visit https://myvote.wi.gov to complete the registration process in minutes or find local municipal clerk’s mailing address.

Oct. 15 to Nov. 1: During this closed registration period, Wisconsinites must register to vote in their municipal clerk’s office or at a satellite voting location run by the municipal clerk.

Oct. 20: The first day that municipal clerks may offer in-person absentee voting in their office or a satellite location. Start dates and office hours vary by municipality. Visit https://myvote.wi.gov to find the municipal clerk office’s contact information and learn more about absentee voting in-person for the upcoming election.

Oct. 27: This is the practical deadline for voters to return their mail absentee ballots to their municipal clerk’s office, Wisconsin Election Commission officials said. The U.S. Postal Service recommends allowing one week for completed absentee ballots to be delivered to the municipal clerk’s office. After this date, voters should find other options for returning their absentee ballot, which include delivering it to their municipal clerk’s office or a secure drop box if one is provided by their clerk. Most voters can also deliver their ballot to their polling place by 8 p.m. on Election Day, but there are some exceptions.

Oct. 29: The legal deadline for most voters to request an absentee ballot by mail.

Oct. 30: Final day to register to vote at your municipal clerk’s office. Visit https://myvote.wi.gov to find the local clerk’s contact information and hours of operation.

Nov. 1: The last day that municipal clerks may offer in-person absentee voting in their office or a satellite location. Most clerks only offer absentee voting in their office until Friday, Oct. 30, and office hours vary by municipality.

Nov. 3: Election Day. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and voters who are returning an absentee ballot to their polling place must get it there by 8 p.m.

However, there are 35 municipalities including Milwaukee and Green Bay that count absentee ballots at a central location.

Voters in those cities, villages and towns should check with their municipal clerk about where to return their ballots on Election Day.

A list of central count municipalities is available here: https://elections.wi.gov/clerks/guidance/central-count-absentee.