2024 is set to be a busy year for Wisconsinites at the ballot box.
On Aug. 13, that will ramp up even further, with voters set to weigh in on two proposed amendments to the state Constitution, as well as primary races for U.S. Congress and the state Legislature in communities. That includes some competitive primary races in the Dane County area.
The Cap Times has you covered all year long to help you understand what is on the ballot, to answer questions about voting and public policy and to give you the information you need to make your voice heard.
[Want to get the latest in Wisconsin political news delivered free to your inbox every Friday? Sign up for our Wedge Issues newsletter!]
Let’s start with some basics.
How to Vote
How to register to vote
If you’re not already registered to vote, you can get signed up in a variety of ways. The easiest way if you have an internet connection is to use the My Vote WI website run by the state at myvote.wi.gov. Be prepared to provide your current address, current and valid driver’s license number and other information. Voters also can register by mail or at their local clerk’s office. All of these options are available up to 20 days before the election, which in this case was July 24.
Wisconsin also allows voters to register to vote at their polling place on Election Day. Voters should bring a document showing proof of address when they go to the polls, such as a utility bill issued in the last 90 days, a current and valid Wisconsin driver’s license or ID card, a paycheck or a housing list from the University of Wisconsin-Madison or Edgewood College along with a student ID. Voters will also need to bring a photo ID in order to actually cast their vote.
How to vote absentee
If you would like to vote by mail, you can request a ballot until 5 p.m. the Thursday before an election.For the August primary that means by 5 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 8.
But officials caution that you should ask for a ballot sooner rather than later. Voters can request an absentee mail ballot online at myvote.wi.gov or by submitting a written request, which should include your name, Madison address, address where the ballot can be mailed, signature and a copy of a photo ID.
An absentee ballot must be returned in time to be delivered to your polling place on Election Day, meaning city election officials recommend mailing it back at least one week before the election. Otherwise, voters can return their ballot to any early advanced voting location or to their polling place on Election Day.
If you want to vote early and in person, there are 34 in-person absentee voting locations in every corner of Madison.
In-person absentee voting is also available at these other Dane County locations:
Middleton: City clerk’s office, 7426 Hubbard Ave.
Verona: City hall, 111 Lincoln St., and the public library, 500 Silent St.
Fitchburg: Community center, 5520 Lacy Road
Sun Prairie: City hall, 300 E. Main St.
Waunakee: Village clerk’s office, 500 W. Main St.
DeForest: Village clerk’s office, 120 S. Stevenson St.
Residents can register to vote at an in-person absentee voting location, but be warned that state law bars voter registration on the Saturday, Sunday and Monday before Election Day.
Can I use a ballot drop box?
Ballot drop boxes are once again unlocked after the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled in July that they are constitutional. That will allow voters to deposit their ballots in the locked receptacles ahead of the August primary, even though materials mailed with ballots may not have indicated this to be an option.
Thirteen of Madison's fire stations, as well as Elver Park, have drop boxes. You can find a full list of locations here.
Other municipalities in Dane County are also currently utilizing drop boxes. You can find them at:
Cottage Grove: Cottage Grove Town Hall, 4058 County Road N
Fitchburg: Fitchburg City Hall, 5520 Lacy Road
McFarland: Municipal Center, 5915 Milwaukee St.
Middleton: Middleton Public Library parking lot, 7425 Hubbard Ave.
Stoughton: Behind Stoughton City Hall, 207 South Forrest St.
Sun Prairie: Sun Prairie City Hall, 300 East Main St.
Verona: Verona City Hall, 111 Lincoln St.
How can I get a photo ID to vote?
Voters must present a valid form of photo identification for their vote to count, although the ID does not need to show a current address. Examples of acceptable forms of ID are a Wisconsin driver’s license or Wisconsin Department of Transportation photo ID card, a military or unexpired Veterans Affairs ID, a U.S. passport or certificate of naturalization, a tribal ID or an identification card issued by an accredited university, provided that the card shows the date it was issued and the student’s signature. UW-Madison will issue compliant voting IDs.
People who do not have a driver’s license can obtain a voting ID issued by the Department of Transportation at Madison’s two Division of Motor Vehicles service centers at 2001 Bartillon Drive and 2344 South Park St.
Those seeking to do so must fill out an application and present four documents: proof of their name and date of birth (such as a birth certificate), proof of identity (such as college ID, Social Security card or W-2 tax form), proof of Wisconsin residency (such as a recent utility bill), proof of U.S. citizenship (such as a passport) and their Social Security number.
If you forget to bring your photo ID to the polls, you may cast what is called a provisional ballot, which is set aside. If a voter provides their local clerk's office with a copy of their photo ID by 4 p.m. on the Friday after the election (Friday, Aug. 16 for the primary election), their vote will be counted.
How to find your polling place
Voters can find their polling place, learn what races are going to appear on their ballot and track their absentee ballot by going to myvote.wi.gov.
What is on the ballot
Constitutional amendments
Voters will be asked whether or not to approve two amendments to the Wisconsin Constitution, both of which have to do with how the state spends money.
One amendment would require the Legislature to pass a joint resolution authorizing the governor to spend federal funds. Without that action, they would not be able to authorize the use of those funds. A yes vote would require legislative approval for the governor spending federal funds; a no vote would give the governor authority absent action by legislators, maintaining the current system.
A second amendment would clarify that the Legislature cannot delegate “its sole power to determine how moneys shall be appropriated.” A yes vote would add the language to the state constitution prohibiting the Legislature from delegating its appropriation powers; a no vote would maintain the status quo and would not add the language.
The amendments grew out of frustration among Republican legislators with how Gov. Tony Evers was spending federal COVID-19 relief aid in recent years. They argue that the power to make spending decisions should ultimately rest with the state Legislature.
Critics of the measures, however, note that federal funding is often quickly distributed by officials in Washington D.C., such as to help respond to a natural disaster or to address other urgent issues. Adding another layer of review could slow down the process in getting the money out the door, some fear.
For a more in-depth look at the constitutional amendments, read the Cap Times' reporting.
Congressional primaries
The state’s U.S. Senate race will have a contested primaries for Republicans, though businessman Eric Hovde is the heavy favorite to take on U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison in the fall,. U.S. House races across the state are also expected to have contested primary races, including an open race on the Republican side to replace former U.S. Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Green Bay, in the northeast Wisconsin 8th Congressional District.
Learn more about who is running in the congressional primary races here.
Dane County Executive
Former Dane County Executive Joe Parisi stepped downin May, a year before his term ended, and called for a special election on Nov. 5 . Jamie Kuhn, a former Medicaid director for Wisconsin's health department and a former Dane County Board supervisor, was appointed to fill the role on an interim basis.
There are four candidates to replace Parisi, and the top two vote-getters in the Aug. 13 primary will advance to the Nov. 5 general election. You can read about them and their stances on county issues here.
Legislative primaries
There will be dozens of competitive primaries for state Assembly and state Senate races across the state. This will be the first election cycle under new legislative maps, signed into law by Gov. Tony Evers earlier this year after the Wisconsin Supreme Court tossed out the old lines in a bombshell decision in late 2023. The new lines are expected to be more competitive and to give Democrats a pathway to regaining seats in the Legislature.
The following districts are expected to have a competitive primary on the August primary ballot:
Senate District 16 (Fitchburg, Sun Prairie, Fort Atkinson), Democratic
- For more information about this race, watch our candidate forum with the three candidates or read with them.
Assembly District 47 (Fitchburg and Stoughton), Democratic
- For more information about this race, watch our candidate forum with the two candidates or read with them.
Assembly District 48 (Sun Prairie), Democratic
- For more information about this race, watch our candidate forum with the five candidates or read with them.
Assembly District 77 (most of the UW-Madison campus, west Madison, Shorewood Hills), Democratic
- For more information about this race, watch our candidate forum with the three candidates or read with them.
Assembly District 78 (Monona, south Madison), Democratic
- For more information about this race, watch our candidate forum with the two candidates or read with them.
Assembly District 80 (Verona, Middleton, Cross Plains and part of west Madison), Democratic
- For more information about this race, watch our candidate forum with the two candidates or read with them.
Want to provide further support for efforts like this? Become a Cap Times member.
