The April 1 spring election is less than a month away, with key statewide races for state superintendent and the Wisconsin Supreme Court on the ballot. Here’s what you need to do in order to get out and vote in Wisconsin.
Important voter registration deadlines
Still need to register to vote? Here are important deadlines you need to know:
- Deadline to register in your municipal clerk’s office: March 28, 2025 at 5 p.m.
- Find your municipal clerk’s contact information here.
- Register to vote at your polling place: April 1, 2025
- Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day. You are able to register to vote during these hours at your polling place. Find your polling location here.
University of Wisconsin-Madison students are allowed to miss class in order to work at the polls so long as their instructor is notified two weeks prior to the date of the election, according to university policy.
Additionally, students are allowed to miss class or be tardy as long as they are waiting in line to vote, according to university policy.
How do I vote absentee by mail?
Planning to vote absentee by mail? Here are important deadlines you need to know:
- Deadline to request an absentee ballot: March 27, 2025 at 5 p.m.
- Request your absentee ballot here. It takes about two minutes.
- Deadline to return absentee ballot: April 1, 2025 at 8 p.m.
- If you have already received an absentee ballot, you must return your absentee ballot by mail or delivery to your municipal clerk. Your ballot must be received by your municipal clerk no later than 8 p.m. on Election Day, April 1, 2025.
How do I vote early in-person?
On-campus in-person early voting locations are open weekdays from March 18 to March 28 at the following locations:
- Memorial Union, 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
- Union South, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Health Sciences Learning Center, 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Off-campus and general Madison voting early locations can be found here. Additional information about voting absentee in-person can be found by visiting the My Vote Wisconsin website.
What do I bring to my polling place in Madison on Election Day?
To vote in Wisconsin, you will need:
-
A photo ID, such as:
- A Wisconsin DOT issued Driver License (or receipt)
- A Wisconsin DOT issued Identification Card (or receipt)
- A military ID
- A Native American tribal ID
- A university-issued voter ID with a signature, an issue date and an expiration date no later than two years after the election (learn how to get a UW-Madison voter ID here)
- A Veteran’s ID card issued by the Veterans Health Administration of the Federal Department of Veterans Affairs
- A certificate of naturalization issued at least two years before the date of the election
If you are registering to vote in-person on April 1, you must bring proof of address. There are many options to show proof of your residence in Madison. Many students use their phones to show their dormitory assignment or lease while registering in person.
You can check your registration online at vote.gov.
What is on my ballot?
The April 1 ballot will include two nonpartisan statewide races: the Wisconsin Supreme Court race and the state superintendent race.
Former Republican Wisconsin Attorney General and Waukesha County Circuit Court Judge Brad Schimel and Dane County Judge Susan Crawford will go head-to-head in a race that will decide the ideological balance of the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
While Wisconsin Supreme Court races are officially nonpartisan, they have become increasingly polarized in recent years as the two major political parties continue to back their preferred candidate. Crawford seeks to maintain the court’s narrow liberal majority, while Schimel seeks to swing Wisconsin’s high court back to conservatives.
Key issues currently pending before the Wisconsin Supreme Court include decisions on abortion rights, Act 10 and Gov. Tony Evers’ line-item veto that extended school funding for 402 years.
In the state superintendent race, incumbent State Superintendent Jill Underly will face off against education consultant Brittany Kinser.
Both Kinser’s and Underly’s campaigns support increasing student literacy rates. This is in response to criticism of Underly’s new educational benchmark system, which Underly has repeatedly defended.
The outcome of this election will impact the way funding is distributed to schools, how schools measure student progress and parental control over children’s education.
In addition to the two statewide races, voters get to answer the following referendum question: “Photographic identification for voting. Shall section 1m of article III of the constitution be created to require that voters present valid photographic identification verifying their identity in order to vote in any election, subject to exceptions which may be established by law?”
The amendment, put forth by the Republican-controlled state Legislature, would enshrine Wisconsin’s current voter ID law in the state constitution, making it difficult for the Wisconsin Supreme Court, which currently has a liberal-leaning majority, to invalidate the law.
Republican lawmakers passed the voter ID law after they gained control of the state Legislature in 2011. Making voter ID a constitutional requirement would make it impossible for Democrats to overturn the requirement if they win majorities in the state Assembly and Senate.
In 2024, Wisconsinites saw five statewide referendum questions, the most in a single year since 1982, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The Republican-controlled Legislature placed all five of the 2024 statewide referendum questions on the ballot, and three of the five passed.
Anna Kleiber is the state news editor for The Daily Cardinal. She previously served as the arts editor. Anna has written in-depth on elections, legislative maps and campus news. She has interned with WisPolitics and Madison Magazine. Follow her on X at @annakleiber03.
