FAQ

On April 1st, Wisconsin voters will decide who sits on the state supreme court. Voters will also decide whether to pass an amendment to the state constitution to put some restrictions on the governor’s veto authority.

Answers to frequently asked questions about this election and voting in general are below.

How do I register to vote?

To vote in Wisconsin you need to be registered and you can register any time up to and including election day. It is too late to register by mail for the April 1 election. However you can register in person in your city clerk's office. On election day, you can register at your polling place with ID and proof of address.

You can download a voter registration form here. More information on ID requirements is here.

Where do I vote?

The election division of the Wisconsin accountability board has just unveiled an online way to find your polling place simply by entering your address. It works for most Wisconsin communities.

If this does not work for you, contact your municipal clerk. You can find the phone number in the government pages of your phone book, or look up contact information here.

How do I vote absentee?

If you can't or just don't want to go to your polling place on election day and are already registered you can vote absentee. To get an absentee ballot, fill out an application and send it to your city clerk. You can look up your city clerk's address on this list. But you'll need to get your application to the clerk's office by the Thursday before the election. In the case of the Wisconsin presidential primary that would be Feb. 14.

You can also show up at your city clerk's office and apply for and even fill out your absentee ballot right there.

How does a supreme court election work?

In Wisconsin, the state constitution calls for supreme court justices to be elected to ten-year terms.  When a justice leaves the court, the governor appoints a replacement to fulfill the term.  Justice Louis Butler, the incumbent in the supreme court race, was appointed to the bench by Gov. Jim Doyle in 2004 to fill out a term of Justice Diane Sykes.  Now the voters decide whether to elect Butler to a full ten-year term or to elect Burnett County circuit judge Mike Gableman to the post.

What is the constitutional amendment referendum question?

Voters will select “yes” or “no” to this question:

In Wisconsin, the constitution grants broad veto authority to the Governor. Typically, a veto is thought of as a way an executive can prevent a law passed by a legislature from being enacted. The Wisconsin governor has that power, but also can use a partial veto, to eliminate specific portions of a law as written. At times, these partial vetoes have stricken out certain words, letters or numbers and effectively rewritten the proposed law to be very different from the intent of the lawmakers.

This amendment will put some restrictions on that authority. Voters will decide whether to amend the state constitution to make this change.