Election Day in Madison: Polls 7 to 8, Photo ID, and the Absentee Deadline That Is Absolute
Everything Madison and Dane County voters need for Tuesday, Nov. 3 — including same-day registration at your polling place, and why a completed absentee ballot must be hand-delivered now.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3, and polling places across Madison and Dane County will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Anyone in line at 8 p.m. will be allowed to vote. Madison voters vote at their assigned polling place — the city clerk's office and the state's MyVote Wisconsin site, myvote.wi.gov, will confirm your location and show your sample ballot.
Bring a photo ID. Wisconsin accepts a Wisconsin driver's license or state ID card, a U.S. passport, a military or veteran's ID, a tribal ID, or a qualifying university student ID that meets the state's requirements. The address on the ID does not need to be current. Voters without an acceptable ID may cast a provisional ballot and present ID afterward — at the polls by 8 p.m. Tuesday or at the clerk's office by 4 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6 — for it to count.
Wisconsin also registers voters at the polls on Election Day: if you have moved or never registered, bring a proof-of-residence document showing your current name and address — a utility bill, bank statement, paycheck or lease qualifies — and you can register and vote the same day. Students take note: your campus address counts, and the clerk's site lists what to bring.
Holding a completed absentee ballot? Wisconsin's deadline is the strictest kind: the ballot must be received by your municipal clerk by 8 p.m. on Election Day — the mail will not make it, and postmarks do not count. Hand-deliver it according to your clerk's instructions: Madison voters should follow the city clerk's directions for drop-off locations and Election Day delivery, and can call the clerk's office for guidance. Do not assume any drop box is open — follow the clerk's official instructions for this election.
What Dane County is deciding is the full midterm slate: an open race for governor, the Legislature, congressional seats, county offices, judicial races, and three constitutional amendments on the statewide ballot — the most in a single Wisconsin election since 1995 — plus local referenda that vary by community. Results will be reported through the night as municipalities transmit them; this newsroom will label every figure as unofficial until the county and state canvasses are complete. Madison takes voting seriously enough to argue about the details. The detail that matters Tuesday is 8 p.m.