Madison Reporter

On February 13, is the first day for hospitalized voters to appoint an agent for the retrieval, delivery, and return of their absentee ballot. This process is available until 5 p.m. on Election Day.

Hospitalized voters can initiate the process by appointing an agent and requesting a hospitalized absentee ballot through a form provided by the City Clerk’s Office.

The agent chosen by the voter delivers the absentee request to the Clerk’s Office and presents both the agent’s ID and a copy of the voter’s ID to Clerk’s Office personnel. If the voter needs to register or update their voter registration, the agent also submits a completed voter registration application and proof of the voter’s address.

The Clerk’s Office issues an absentee ballot, absentee envelope, and instructions for the hospitalized voter. The agent delivers this packet to the voter at the hospital.

The hospitalized voter may choose anyone who is not a candidate on the ballot to be their witness. The witness may be the voter’s agent. The voter shows the witness that the ballot is not marked, and then uses a blue or black ballpoint pen to mark the ballot in the presence of that witness. They should be far enough away from the witness that their candidate choices remain confidential.

The voter folds the ballot and seals it in the absentee envelope in the presence of the witness. The voter reads and signs the voter statement on the front of the absentee envelope. The witness reads the witness certification statement, signs, prints their name, and writes their street address below their signature.

The agent takes the sealed absentee envelope back to the Clerk’s Office. All absentee ballots are sent to the polls to be counted on Election Day.

Most Madison residents do not have a February Primary. The only Madisonians with a primary are voters in County Supervisor districts 13 and 36, and voters in the Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District. Voters can find out whether they have a primary and, if so, see their sample ballot by visiting https://MyVote.wi.gov.

The goal of the City Clerk’s Office is that each eligible voter will be able to cast a ballot and have that ballot count.

Original source can be found here.