Nomination Papers

General Instructions for working with nomination papers: There are two roles, the circulator, and the nominators. Circulators can be anyone eligible to vote in Wisconsin. Nominators must reside in the candidate's district and must be eligible to vote in Wisconsin. If you live in the candidate's district and are eligible to vote in Wisconsin, you can be both a circulator and a nominator. The form for nominations clearly delineates the two different functions.

Nominators must fill out one of the lines on the form completely. The information requires

• your signature;
• your printed name;
• your residential address;
• your municipality: check box for Town, Village, or City and then write the name of the municipality;
• date of signing.

Circulators fill out the area of the form titled "Certification of Circulator." Only fill out this part of the form after the last person has signed the nomination form. Do not write anything in the Page No. box.

Mail the completed form(s) to the candidate no later than May 13.

Simple Rules for Voting in Wisconsin

Voting by absentee ballot is, we think, an effective, sound and secure strategy. For one thing, the ballot typically arrives about three weeks before Election Day. That means you can take some time to bone up on candidates' qualifications and stands as you chose how you're going to vote for each office. Plus it's an insurance policy in case of unexpected illness or a sudden and unexpected need to travel on Election Day.

There are several rules for absentee ballots you must observe.

1. A witness must sign the ballot certification envelope in which you return your ballot.
2. The witness must fill in his/her/their complete address, including street number, street name, municipality and zip code.
3. You must sign the certification envelope.
4. Be sure you seal the ballot envelope. DO NOT use tape or any other way to close the envelope, making it appear to have been tampered with. Your ballot may be discarded if it is not sealed properly. If you want to avoid licking the envelope, use a dampened paper towel.
5. Finally, you return your ballot to your municipal clerk, either by posting it in the US Mail or by taking it in person to your clerk's office. In either case, YOU MUST MAIL or RETURN the ballot YOURSELF. No one is allowed to return your ballot for you. [Note also: drop boxes cannot be used to return ballots.]
6. You can track the progress of your absentee ballot on MyVote.WI.Gov. Use the "Track My Ballot" tab to find out when the ballot was received and if it was accepted or rejected. If rejected, call the Democratic Voter Hotline at: 608-336-3232.
7. If you receive an absentee ballot in the mail but change your mind and want to vote on Election Day, all is not lost. As long as you have not already returned the ballot, you can take it to your polling place, surrender the blank ballot to an election worker, and receive a new ballot. At that point you simply use the ordinary process for marking your ballot and passing it through the tabulating machine.

You can also vote early for the August 13 election. Technically, this option is also called absentee voting! Early in-person absentee voting — that's it's full moniker — takes place on weekdays beginning July 30 and ending August 9 in most communities. You can find more information about days/times/and locations for early voting on Early Voting Information for North Shore and Ozaukee County Communities or for the City of Milwaukee. Voting early in-person is convenient, flexible, and secure. You will need to take an approved photo ID with you — just as you would for voting on Election Day. If you need to register or reregister — because you have moved or changed your name — you must also bring proof on residence with you. See list of acceptable photo IDs. See a list of acceptable forms of proof of residence.

Of course, there's always Election Day. Find your polling location on MyVote.WI.gov as well as what you need to bring for photo ID and to register to vote, if necessary.