With election one month away, plan how you’ll vote

University of Wisconsin–Madison students and employees who are eligible voters can choose one of three ways to cast their ballots in the Nov. 8 general election in Wisconsin: absentee by mail, absentee in-person at one of three sites on campus, or live at the polls on election day.

In addition to races for governor and senator, Congress, state legislature, attorney general, and partisan county offices will be on the ballot.

“Voting is a crucial aspect of democracy, and we want to ensure that all of our students who are eligible have the opportunity to take part,” said Barry Burden, political science professor and faculty chair of BadgersVote coalition. “Students have the power to affect election outcomes here in Wisconsin.”

To vote:

• By mail: Registered Wisconsin voters may request an absentee ballot be sent to them by mail until Nov. 3. They’re encouraged to mail them back in early to ensure they arrive by Election Day.
• In-person absentee: In-person absentee voting and voter registration will be from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. (except weekends) from Tuesday, Oct. 25, to Friday, Nov. 4, at Memorial Union and Union South; and also from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28, and Friday, Nov. 4, at the Eagle Heights Community Center. It’s also available at other Madison locations.
• At the polls: On Election Day on Nov. 8, polls are open for voting and voter registration from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. You must vote at your assigned polling place.

To check if you are registered or to register for the first time in Wisconsin, you can check online ­at myvote.wi.gov and register following the website’s prompts, if you have the proper identification. By-mail and online registration ends on Oct. 19.

City of Madison residents may register to vote in the City Clerk’s Office during normal business hours, at the front desk of any City of Madison agency, or at a number of community spaces and 6 rotating Madison Public Libraries through Oct. 19.

Otherwise, you can register during in-person absentee voting, or at the polls on election day.

Students are encouraged to sign up as election officials.

Student voting turnout efforts on campus are coordinated by BadgersVote, a partnership between the Morgridge Center for Public Service, the Madison City Clerk’s Office, Associated Students of Madison, University Communications, and a number of other campus units. Dozens of students put in hundreds of hours running voter registration drives and educating peers through podcasts, discussion panels, social media and, on Election Day, chalking messages across campus.

Voter turnout among UW–Madison students increased 7.4 percentage points in the 2020 presidential election, rising from 65.4 percent of eligible students in 2016 to 72.8 percent of eligible students in 2020. That’s higher than the national voting rate of college students in 2020, which was 66 percent, according to the National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement

Be sure to visit vote.wisc.edu – the hub for Badger voting information.