Vote Tomorrow February 18th!

For release: Monday - February 17, 2025

Image: Election Protection Hotline number 866-OUR-VOTE (1-866-687-8683)

What You Need To Know To Have Your Vote Count

The next Wisconsin election is here! The 2025 Spring Primary Election Day is tomorrow - Tuesday, February 18, 2025. There is a statewide primary for the State Superintendent of Public Instruction as well as for many important local offices which may include making initial primary election choices for other judges (but not for the Wisconsin Supreme Court - that choice will be in the April 1st election), for mayor, city or town council, county supervisor, school board and many other elected officials and ballot questions. These positions have an enormous impact on our lives. Your vote and voice really matters.

Make sure that your voice is heard and that your vote is counted by knowing how you will cast your ballot for this election.

In-Person Voting at your Polling Location on Election Day

If you are planning to vote in person at the polls, read the information below so you are prepared when you show up to vote at your polling location. Polls are open from 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM on Tuesday.

Your Ballot
You will find local and state races on your ballot. Find out what is on your ballot at MyVote. These offices and the people who serve in these roles have a direct impact on your life.

Get to know who wants to represent you and which candidate best represents your values before you vote. Find candidate and ballot information from the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin at Vote411.org.

Polling Location
Polling places can change from election to election. To find out where to go to cast your ballot, visit the Find My Polling Place page on the MyVote Wisconsin website and type in your address.

Registration
You can register to vote on Election Day at your polling location. Being registered to vote means being registered at your current address. You need to have lived at your current address for at least 28 days prior to Election Day in order to register to vote in that election district or ward. You'll need to bring a proof of residence document to complete your registration (this document can be shown electronically - like on your phone or tablet).

Photo ID
You are required to show a photo ID before you vote. If you have a Wisconsin driver's license or a Wisconsin Department of Transportation-issued ID card, then you’re all set. Selected other forms of ID work too, and it’s a good idea to check the official list of acceptable IDs at Bring It to The Ballot to make sure you have what you need.

What if you don't have an acceptable ID to vote tomorrow? You can ask for AND vote with a provisional ballot. But, for your ballot to be counted, you MUST either come back to your polling place with an acceptable form of ID before it closes at 8:00 PM on Election Day OR bring your ID to your municipal clerk's office by 4:00 PM the Friday after the election (Friday, February 21st). If you don't have an acceptable ID for voting and need help getting one, call or text the VoteRiders helpline 866-ID-2-VOTE for assistance.

College Students voting in Wisconsin
Are you a college student voting in Wisconsin? Or do you know a student who wants to vote in Wisconsin? Here is important information from the Common Cause Wisconsin website to share: Three Things College Students Need to Do To Vote in Wisconsin

Mail-in Absentee Ballot Return

If you still have a mail-in absentee ballot that was mailed to you and you have not returned it yet, be sure to personally hand return your completed ballot TODAY. Do NOT mail it! All ballots need to be received no later than 8pm tomorrow on Election Day. Your clerk and myvote.wi.gov will have information about where you can take your ballot, and because today is Presidents Day and a federal holiday, this may impact whether your clerk's office is open today - so check with your clerk before you go. Don't forget: The ballot envelope needs a witness signature and the complete address of the witness.

REMINDER: Voters with a disability who need assistance may have someone return their absentee ballot.

You can track your ballot through the official ballot tracker on MyVote. Don't see that your ballot was received? Contact your clerk for further information.

Have questions or need some assistance?

Help is just a call, text, or email away.

Voters with disabilities have the right to have ready access to any polling place. This includes the right to use an accessible voting machine, getting assistance marking and returning an absentee ballot, and voting curbside at a polling location. Call the Disability Rights Wisconsin Voter Hotline for assistance: 1-844-347-8683. Or email: info@disabilityvote.org. Additional online resources are also at the Wisconsin Disability Vote Coalition website.

If you experience problems at the polls or have questions, there is help. Call Election Protection at 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683) for support from nonpartisan election protection volunteers with any questions you have or to report problems.

Exercise your precious right and ability to determine where your state and local community is headed. Remember that each and every Wisconsin voter has an equal voice at the polling place. Vote!

On Wisconsin!

Jay Heck

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Jay Heck

608/512-9363 (cell)

Common Cause in Wisconsin
152 Johnson St, Suite 212
Madison, WI 53703

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Common Cause Wisconsin supports Rule on Election Observers

For release: Tuesday - February 4, 2025

Statement from Common Cause Wisconsin on Wisconsin Election Commission Rule on Election Observers, CR 24-032

TO: Assembly Members of the Committee on Campaigns and Elections

FROM: Jay Heck, Executive Director of Common Cause in Wisconsin

DATE: February 4, 2025

RE: Statement from Common Cause Wisconsin on Wisconsin Election Commission Rule on Election Observers, CR 24-032

Common Cause Wisconsin (CC/WI) supports the Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC) Rule on Election Observers, CR 24-032, which establishes much needed clear rules and standards for election observers. Founded in 1970, CC/WI is the state’s largest non-partisan citizens political reform advocacy organization with more than 9,000 members and activists in every county in Wisconsin.

Common Cause Wisconsin has recruited volunteer observers over many years and for several election cycles to be able to have our members observe and monitor the election process at polling locations throughout the state. Members of CC/WI have long been eager to have an opportunity to be part of Wisconsin Election Protection programs in many different capacities, but they have particularly emphasized the value and importance of being trained as nonpartisan election observers by the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin for Election Day. 

Common Cause Wisconsin was an active participating member of the WEC Election Observer Advisory Committee assisting with the development of the rule. Election observers need clear rules in order to carry out their tasks at polling locations. Having this rule in place will help ensure the safety of voters, observers, and election officials. The rule seeks to benefit observers but will also preserve and enhance access to the election process, and help improve transparency, security, and confidence in Wisconsin’s elections. The rule strikes a careful and important balance between the election officials being able to carry out their jobs, an observer’s access and ability to be able to view the voting process, and a voter's right to privacy and confidentiality while casting a ballot. 

The rule is also comprehensive and responsive to the many points of concern members of the advisory committee named specifically during the meetings. These areas include the use of recording equipment, how observers can interact with voters and election officials while in the polling place, respecting a voter’s right to privacy and the handling of confidential information, an observer’s role when working with Special Voting Deputies, the safety and authority of election officials and chief inspectors, and maintaining an open and transparent process that is observable. The rule ensures the basic needs of election observers are met, such as access to restrooms, access to the voting process without interfering with election officials and voters, and receiving disability-related accommodations.

Common Cause Wisconsin recognizes the challenging task the WEC staff faced in compiling public comments together with feedback of the advisory committee with various nonpartisan organizations and active political parties in the state who often work with election observers. The WEC staff and commissioners spent many hours facilitating the advisory committee, considering and incorporating outside input from individuals and organizations, and having honest and candid discussions about how to improve the role of the election observer. The commissioners should be commended for finding common ground embodied in the submitted rule, and completing the process which fulfills WEC’s obligation to promulgate rules under that statute. As a result, this rule reflects fairness with clear, applicable expectations of election observers.

Observers, voters, and election officials rely on clear information from the WEC and the Wisconsin legislature. Common Cause Wisconsin supports CR 24-032 - Rule on Election Observers as written, and requests that the Assembly Committee on Campaigns and Elections vote to approve this rule to advance it to the Joint Committee for Review of Administrative Rules pending the Senate Committee’s review and approval (Wis. Stat. 227.19(4)(e)). Establishing clear rules and standards for election observers across the state will help improve citizen confidence in the voting process and help observers in their important role of witnessing the election process.

 

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Jay Heck

608/512-9363 (cell)

Common Cause in Wisconsin
152 Johnson St, Suite 212
Madison, WI 53703

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Your Vote Matters in Every Election. Plan to Vote February 18th and April 1st!

For release: Monday - January 27, 2025

Image: Voters casting ballots at the voting booths

Critical Wisconsin Supreme Court Election and Vital Local Elections Deserve Your Attention

During these first four months of 2025, there are two important election dates: Tuesday, February 18th and Tuesday, April 1st. Make a note on your calendar (paper, like mine, or online) and prepare now to be ready to vote in these upcoming, important statewide and local elections. Here are things you can take care of now, so you are prepared for these two Election Days or to cast your absentee ballot in advance. Also, please share the important voting information that follows.

 

I don’t have to tell you how much every election matters and how state court and local contests have a very direct impact on your daily life. Particularly now in 2025 after what occurred last year in Wisconsin and in the nation. These upcoming elections will include an extremely critical (for the state and nation) statewide election for an open seat for a Justice on the Wisconsin Supreme Court.  As well, there is a very important primary (February) and general election (April) for the statewide Superintendent of Public Instruction. In addition, your locale may also include important elections for offices such as City Council, Village President, Municipal and County Judges, School Board, Mayor, and County Supervisor. The more local the election, the more likely the people running in it may be people you know. These local elected positions will impact your public schools, public transportation, property taxes, water quality, public and private housing costs and zoning, public safety and policing and many other aspects of your everyday, daily life. Your vote matters enormously in our state and local elections.

 

And this year - in 2025 - we will elect a State Supreme Court Justice that will hold this seat for a ten year term. This particular election, which the entire nation is focused on and is watching closely, will have enormous consequences for critical issues such as voting rights and free and fair elections as well as on redistricting and fair voting maps for state legislative elections in Wisconsin. But it also matters for so many more critical issues like health care and reproductive rights for Wisconsinites as well as environmental protection, collective bargaining rights and protections for public and possibly private sector employees, public education funding and so much more.

 

The outcome of the Wisconsin Supreme Court election (Primary election - February 18th and General Election - April 1st)  may very well have a significant bearing on the direction of national politics and policy throughout the rest of 2025 and into the critical 2026 midterm elections. Why? Because Wisconsin, as it has been in every election in the 21st Century, is the most closely contested “swing state” in the nation, and election decisions made by the Wisconsin Supreme Court this year and next could very well set the tone and tenor for all that follow.  Not just in Wisconsin but nationally. It’s that simple.

 

And if that wasn't more than enough reason to get ready to vote this year there's more.  A hyper partisan measure to needlessly amend the Wisconsin Constitution to enshrine one of the most extreme and restrictive voter suppression measures in the nation (already in Wisconsin law) has been rammed through the Wisconsin Legislature along strict party lines and will be on the April 1st election ballot. Please read our statement in opposition against this misguided and irresponsible policy measure and vote against it on April 1st.

 

But wait, there's more and here is “the kicker:”  Because this February Primary and April General Election, like all “off year” elections, will draw significantly fewer voters than November elections in even-numbered years, that means when you do vote, it will have significantly more impact and influence on the outcome of the election at both the state and local levels this year.

 

So please make voting and helping to turn out other voters a priority in the weeks and months immediately ahead. Here is an easy-to-follow checklist of things “to do” to make your voice, and the voices of your family, friends and neighbors be heard at the ballot box this February 18th and April 1st:

 

✅Register to Vote: You must be registered to vote to cast your ballot in these Spring Elections. Register online at MyVote.wi.gov. The online system to register is open until 20 days before Election Day. After that, you can register in-person with your municipal clerk or you can register at the polls on Election Day. More information about registering to vote at Common Cause Wisconsin's site.

 

✅Secure your photo ID: Visit BringIt.wi.gov for more information about the types of ID that can be used to vote. Here, you can also learn about how to get a free ID to use for voting.

 

✅Choose the Way You Want to Cast Your Ballot: Make a plan to vote one of three ways that are available to all Wisconsin voters:

 

1. With an absentee ballot by mail,

OR

2. In person by absentee ballot at your clerk’s office or designated site (aka “early vote”),

OR

3. In person at your polling location on Election Day.

 

Go to MyVote.wi.gov and make a request for your absentee ballot to be sent to you by mail in just seconds. In Wisconsin, any registered voter can vote absentee - no excuses needed. Request your ballot for the Spring elections today. The sooner you make your request, the more likely you are to receive and send back your ballot in time for it to be counted. We suggest you make your absentee ballot request in January to ensure you receive and have time to return your ballot for it to be counted. Remember: requests for absentee ballots must be renewed every year. You can check your absentee ballot request status and renew your request at MyVote - the official site for Wisconsin election information.

 

You can also go to MyVote.wi.gov to get information like locations, dates, and times, about in person voting by absentee ballot from your clerk prior to Election Day (aka “early vote”) which happens for the two-week period prior to Election Day.

 

Finally, you can find your polling location if you choose to vote in person on Election Day. All polling locations across the state are open from 7:00 AM-8:00 PM on Election Day.

 

✅Know Your Ballot: Get to know who wants to represent you and which candidates best represent your values before you vote. Many local papers across the state will also publish local candidate interviews prior to the election. Also watch for recorded candidate forums for statewide offices such as Supreme Court Justice and Superintendent of Public Instruction. Guides.vote just published information on the Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice candidates. And LWVWI just published information on the DPI Superintendent candidates.

 

Wisconsin's youngest voters need to stay engaged and should plan to vote in 2025. Are you a public or private college or university student voting in Wisconsin? Or do you know a student who wants to vote in Wisconsin? Here is unique and important information from the Common Cause Wisconsin website to share: Three Things College Students Need to Do To Vote in Wisconsin

 

Voting by absentee ballot, having the correct ID, finding your polling place or knowing the voting dates and deadlines can sometimes seem overly complicated and overwhelming for many Wisconsinites. Fortunately, help is just a call, text, or email away:

 

Voters with disabilities have the right to have ready access to any polling place. This includes the right to use an accessible voting machine, getting assistance marking and returning an absentee ballot, and voting curbside at a polling location. Call the Disability Rights Wisconsin Voter Hotline for assistance: 1-844-347-8683. Or email: info@disabilityvote.org. Additional online resources are also at the Wisconsin Disability Vote Coalition website.

 

If you experience any problems at the polls or have questions, do not hesitate to call the Election Protection at 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683) for support from nonpartisan election protection volunteers. They are there to help you navigate through any doubts or questions you may have.

 

Plan to vote in both the February 18th Primary Election and in the April 1st General Election! Your vote impacts the future of all of us in Wisconsin. And please share this information with others so they will be ready to vote as well. Many voters are not even aware of these elections and their votes, like yours, will have an enormous impact on your local, state and even on your country’s future.

 

On Wisconsin!

Jay Heck

P.S.  If you would like to learn more about the issues and critical importance of the upcoming Wisconsin Supreme Court election to be decided on April 1st, I will be participating in a virtual forum/webinar featuring former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Janine Geske and others which has been organized by the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin. The webinar is this coming Tuesday evening, January 28th beginning at 6:00 PM. The event is free but you must register here to be sent a link to join online.

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Jay Heck

608/512-9363 (cell)

Common Cause in Wisconsin
152 Johnson St, Suite 212
Madison, WI 53703

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Wisconsin Assembly to Consider Voter Suppression Constitutional Amendment on Tuesday - January 14, 2024

For release: Tuesday - January 14, 2025

Image: Wisconsin Capitol Legislative Chamber

Passage of Hyper Partisan Measure Would Add Restrictive Voter Photo ID Law to April 1st Spring Election Ballot

Last week, as the first order of business in the brand new 2025-26 legislative session, the Wisconsin State Senate rammed through a hyper partisan measure to enshrine Wisconsin's extreme and restrictive photo identification voter law into the Wisconsin Constitution by passing Senate Joint Resolution 2 along strict political party lines 17 to 15. Tuesday, the Wisconsin Assembly will consider an identical measure, Assembly Joint Resolution 1 that if passed would place the issue in the form of a constitutional amendment question on the upcoming April 1st Spring Election ballot.

This is a terrible idea on both public policy and procedural grounds and Wisconsin voters should contact their elected State Representative today and urge them to vote against Assembly Joint Resolution 1 for these reasons which we detailed last week in our release before the vote in the State Senate.

To find the contact information for your state representative go here.

Common Cause Wisconsin is actively engaged in educating Wisconsin voters about public policy issues such as voting rights and participation, fair state legislative and congressional voting maps, fair state courts and the upcoming and pivotal Wisconsin Supreme Court election on April 1, 2025 and about other democracy-related matters.  

You are invited to join these upcoming, online events. Register today and share the event information with a friend.

This coming Thursday, January 16, 2025 at 1PM, I will be participating in a virtual forum presentation organized by the Wisconsin Interfaith Voter Engagement Campaign to discuss the 2025 political landscape of Wisconsin and the country. Register here.

On January 28, 2025 at 6PM, I have the honor of being on a panel with former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Janine Geske and others in a virtual forum on the upcoming Wisconsin Supreme Court election and the related issues of ethics and money organized by the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin. Register here.

We look forward to you joining these virtual events!

And please make sure your state representative hears from you on the ill-advised and misguided legislation regarding the extreme and restrictive voter ID constitutional amendment.

On Wisconsin. Forward!

Jay Heck, Executive Director, Common Cause Wisconsin

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Jay Heck

608/512-9363 (cell)

Common Cause in Wisconsin
152 Johnson St, Suite 212
Madison, WI 53703

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