Madison Reporter

As National Voter Education Week unfolds, the City Clerk’s Office is addressing inquiries from college students eager to participate in their first election. The office provides guidance on voter registration options and eligibility criteria.

College students have the choice to register at either their campus or hometown address, but can only be registered at one location. Eligibility requirements include being 18 years old by Election Day, a U.S. citizen, establishing residency 28 days before the election, and not serving a felony sentence.

The office emphasizes creating a voting plan:

1. **Registering to Vote**: Students can register online using a Wisconsin driver license or ID at MyVote.wi.gov if their address is current with the DMV. In-person registration requires proof of address and can be done at the City Clerk’s Office or any Madison Public Library until October 16. Registration by mail also requires proof of address and must be postmarked by October 16. Absentee Voting sites offer registration from October 22 to November 1, while Election Day registration is available at polling places with proof of address.

2. **Deciding on Voter ID**: Acceptable IDs include Wisconsin driver licenses or IDs expiring after November 8, 2022, U.S. passports, military IDs, certificates of naturalization issued within two years, unexpired WI driver license receipts, tribal ID cards (expiration irrelevant), certain college or university IDs in Wisconsin that meet specific criteria including Edgewood College and UW Voter ID cards.

3. **Viewing Sample Ballots**: Sample ballots are accessible via MyVote.wi.gov.

4. **Exercising Voting Rights**: Options include absentee voting by mail—requiring potential submission of voter ID—and absentee voting in person during early voting periods with required voter ID presentation. In-person voting on Election Day necessitates verifying polling locations beforehand.

The City Clerk's Office aims for every eligible voter to successfully cast and count their ballot.