By Kimberly Vlcek, Co-Coordinator for CVV and member of LWV-GCV
On Wednesday, July 17, 2024, Tyler* registered to vote for the first time in the State of Wisconsin. He also requested his absentee ballot, which will be mailed to an area social service agency where he is allowed to receive his mail. I met Tyler while providing voting services at the Haven House in Eau Claire—he is one of our unsheltered community members. At the age of 17 he was arrested for a drug charge and has been in and out of jail since then. Tyler is now “off paper” and, at the age of 26, wants to cast his first vote in the August 13, 2024, election.
To vote in Wisconsin, an individual must be 18 years old for the next election, be a U.S. citizen, have lived at their current address for 28 days prior to the next election, and not be serving any part of a sentence for a felony conviction. Voting is easy for most Wisconsinites. Step 1) register to vote online at myvote.wi.gov using your Wisconsin driver’s license or ID to prove your place of residence; step 2) go to your polling place and present your DL or ID to verify your identification; step 3) obtain your ballot and vote. It’s a relatively simple process to complete for someone like me who has lived at the same address for the past 35 years. In all that time, only two changes impacted how I vote: having to show a photo ID to obtain a ballot and, during the pandemic, our polling place moved from our town hall across the parking lot to the fire station so tables could be spaced farther apart.
Community members like Tyler, though, often find it difficult to vote because they don’t possess the accepted documents to prove their place of residence or their identity. When Tyler completed his sentence, he found a place where he could receive his mail to meet the 28-day residency requirement and was able to obtain a Wisconsin ID, thus affording him proof of residence and identification. In addition to lacking the accepted documents, other barriers to voting residents may encounter include lack of transportation, inaccessible polling places, misinformation, lack of knowledge about the process or candidates, and felony disenfranchisement.
Wisconsinites can complete their voter registration online at MyVote.wi.gov up to 20 days before an election, at their municipal clerk’s office, or at their polling place on Election Day. Wisconsin is one of 25 states that allows voters to register on Election Day. Once voter registration is complete, voting can be done in person at their clerk’s office, at the polls on Election Day, or by absentee ballot. Absentee ballots can be requested using the MyVote website. Contact information for municipal clerks, and location and dates for voting are also available at this website. Click on the link to learn about accepted documents for proof of residence. Bring It To The Ballot is the “go to” resource on photo ID documents.
Let’s make sure all eligible community members can access the ballot box on August 13 and November 5. JONAH also has a Voter Engagement Team you can join every Wednesday to help encourage voting in your community. We partner with two other local, non-partisan groups you can volunteer with by clicking on the link provided: League of Women Voters-Greater Chippewa Valley and Chippewa Valley Votes. You can also use these links to request a voter registration table at your event or site.
*Name has been changed for privacy.