Voting FAQs

Students in college in Wisconsin have the right to choose whether to vote at their home address or their address while attending school. UW–Madison and Madison College are government agencies and can provide proof of residence for students wishing to register using their school address, providing they meet the 28-day residency requirement.

A driver license from another state is NOT ACCEPTABLE as photo ID for voting.

A college ID must meet certain conditions. A WISCARD is NOT ACCEPTABLE. You may get a student ID for voting at the WISCARD office at Union South or print one from voterID.wisc.edu (requires NetID login).

If expired, a student ID for voting is still valid with proof of current enrollment.

A driver license from another state is NOT ACCEPTABLE as photo ID for voting. 

A Madison College ID is NOT ACCEPTABLE. You may get a free ID for voting at Student Life.

If expired, a student ID for voting is still valid with proof of current enrollment.

If you do not have a Wisconsin driver license or DOT-issued ID card with your current address, you will need to find an acceptable proof of residence (POR) to register to vote. High school students may not have some common forms of POR, such as a bank account, paycheck stub, or utility bill. Public schools are government agencies and can provide your class schedule on their letterhead. The document will need to show your name and address. This government document can serve as POR when registering to vote.

If you don’t have a Wisconsin driver license or DOT-issued ID card, you can get a free ID for voting at the Department of Motor Vehicles through the ID Petition Process (IDPP).

Or, you may have another acceptable ID, such as a US passport, military ID, or tribal ID.

Voters 65 and over who no longer drive can get an non-expiring WI ID from the DOT. Learn more from the DMV.

Voters who have a hard time getting to their polling place due to age, illness, infirmity, or disability can self-certify on an absentee ballot application that they are an indefinitely confined voter. Indefinitely confined voters do not need to submit a photo ID and their ballot will be sent to them automatically for all future elections.

Voters who live in a facility visited by Special Voting Deputies (SVDs) from the municipal clerk’s office can vote by absentee ballot with SVDs, who will confirm their identity and witness their absentee ballot. The voter does not need to show a photo ID. SVDs only assist residents who request their help. If you do not wish to vote when the SVDs visit, they will ask you to sign a form confirming this.

SVDs will make two visits to the care facility. If you miss both visits, the municipal clerk can mail your absentee ballot to you. Contact your municipal clerk if you miss both SVD visits to ensure you still receive your ballot.

Special protections and systems exist to ensure the right to vote for Wisconsin voters in the military, voters living temporarily overseas with the intent to return to Wisconsin, and Wisconsin voters who move overseas permanently, but remain US citizens.

Voters experiencing homelessness can prove their voting address with an affidavit from a social service agency. See a sample letter from the Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC).

Call the Voter ID Helpline 608-285-2841 if you need assistance in obtaining a free ID for voting from the DMV.

If you know you will be in the hospital, request an absentee ballot in advance or vote absentee in person before going to the hospital.

A voter who is hospitalized in the week before or on Election Day can assign an agent to carry their application and ballot materials between them and their municipal clerk’s office. Find details from the Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC).

Completed ballots must be returned to the voter’s clerk's office before 8 p.m. on Election Day.

Voters affected by domestic abuse, sexual assault, or stalking may register confidentially at their municipal clerk’s office only. Documentation is required. Confidential voters are not included in voter lists sold by the state. Their names and addresses are not part of the alphabetical listing of voters on the poll book. Instead, these voters are listed in the back of the poll book using a unique identifying number, which the voter presents on a confidential card when voting in person. Confidential voters are exempt from showing voter ID.