Watch this video below to learn more about successfully completing your absentee ballot.

Receiving a Absentee Ballot

Inside your envelope, you will find the following:

• Instructions
• Ballot
• Return Envelope

Absentee voters must have someone witness them completing their absentee ballot. Your witness will need to sign and provide their address on the certificate of your return envelope. The witness signature confirms the voter voted the ballot and placed it in the envelope for return. Your witness can be any adult U.S. citizen except for a candidate on your ballot.

When Returning a Completed Absentee Ballot, remember the following:

• Use blue or black pen to complete your ballot
• Review your name and address on the return envelope to ensure it’s correct.
• Put your ballot in the return envelope.
• Sign and date the certificate on the return envelope.
• Have your witness sign and write their address on the return envelope.
• Double-check you followed all of the directions. 
• Mail or deliver your ballot to your clerk by the deadline.

Returning Your Ballot

DO NOT DELAY!  Return your ballot as soon as possible to ensure your vote is counted. Below is a schedule to keep in mind when returning your ballot.

• Returning by mail: The U.S. Postal Service recommends absentee ballots be mailed one week before Election Day to arrive in time.
• Return/drop-off in-person: Keep in mind that your completed absentee ballot must be delivered to a drop box,* your municipal clerk's office or your polling place no later than 8:00 p.m. on Election Day. Voters in municipalities that use central count, should return their ballots to their central count location rather than their polling place on Election Day.

*Visit MyVote.Wi.Gov or contact your clerk if you are unsure if your community is using drop boxes. 

Receiving Absentee Ballot Return Asssistance

• If it is too close to the election to mail your completed ballot, and you are not able to deliver your ballot because of a disability, you have the right to have someone else deliver your completed ballot. 
• Any voter who requires assistance with mailing or delivering their absentee ballot to the municipal clerk, or with any other part of the voting process, because of a disability must be permitted to receive such assistance. Voters are entitled to receive assistance from a person of the voter’s choice, other than the voter’s employer or agent of that employer or officer or agent of the voter’s union. 
• Disability Rights Wisconsin has guidance to help you understand your rights to receive help returning your absentee ballot. 

Checking the Status of Your Ballot
You can check the status of your absentee ballot request at myvote.wi.gov. When viewing your voter information, you can see the date you requested the ballot, the date it was mailed to you, and the date your completed ballot was received.

Early Voting (In Person Absentee Voting)

You may vote early in person - at your municipal clerk's office or another site designated by your clerk. Dates and hours for early voting vary by municipality. Contact your municipal clerk to find out your local opportunities to early vote.

We have limited early voting site location information available here.

Fun fact: Early voting is also called in-person absentee voting.

Want more information about absentee and early voting? Visit the Wisconsin Election Commission's absentee voting info page.