Here & Now

What Wisconsin Voters Need to Know for Nov. 4 Elections

Frederica Freyberg:

A lot of attention has been given this election cycle both in and out of the courts to Wisconsin’s voter ID law. The bottom line, though, at least for next Tuesday’s election is that it is not in place. But there are plenty of things for voters to know as they head to the polls and here to help with that is the person that oversees elections in Wisconsin, Kevin Kennedy of the state Government Accountability Board. Kevin, thanks for being here.

Kevin Kennedy:

Good evening. Thank you.

Frederica Freyberg:

In-person voting is now closed. What kinds of numbers did we post?

Kevin Kennedy:

Well, we don’t have numbers as we’re talking, but this morning we were way ahead of what we had last year, slightly ahead. About 240,000 absentee ballots had been cast as of Friday morning. We had all day Friday yet to get those numbers in. We’re ahead of the pace for the recall election in 2012. Percentage, we’re pretty much in line with what we’ve seen for gubernatorial election, including the recall.

Frederica Freyberg:

And yet obviously much lower than in a presidential year.

Kevin Kennedy:

Right. Not presidential numbers, but certainly a lot of activity. And it’s not surprising. There’s been a big push by both major political parties to encourage people to get out and vote.

Frederica Freyberg:

And so I was wondering whether or not this year’s early voting and absentee numbers predict turnout on Tuesday.

Kevin Kennedy:

If they’re strong, it tells us we’re going to have a strong turnout. We projected that we’ll see at least recall numbers, at least 2.5 million people coming to the polls on election day, our total votes cast when this is all over. And that tells us that people are engaged. And when you see high absentee voting, then you know that people are engaged because they want to get their vote in right away. It’s not just a convenience vote. It means they want to make sure their vote is cast.

Frederica Freyberg:

Now, as for the absentee ballots that are being mailed, what’s the deadline, drop-dead deadline for those to be in? And then when do they get processed?

Kevin Kennedy:

It’s too late to ask for it unless you’re a military voter who happened to be stationed on duty at the moment. But they have to be postmarked by election day. So if you get it in the mail by election day and the municipal clerk receives it by 4:00 on Friday following the election, the ballot will be counted, assuming that you’ve signed it and you’ve had it witnessed like you should.

Frederica Freyberg:

Now, election day voting, obviously, is upon us next Tuesday. Are there statewide hours? What are the hours?

Kevin Kennedy:

All the polls open at 7:00 in the morning and close at 8:00 at night. If you are in line at 8:00 at night, you’ll get to vote. Usually you have a poll worker or law enforcement official stand at the end of the line at 8:00 because people– You know, nobody’s time piece is the same.

Frederica Freyberg:

So even though people encourage voters to register, you see, you know, go register now, you can register the same day you go to the polls on election day to vote.

Kevin Kennedy:

That’s right. Wisconsin’s had election day registration since 1976. That is one thing that does improve voter turnout by a slight amount, between 1% and 2%. But it really is designed to ensure that voters who forget, who aren’t able to get there before regular registration closes 20 days before the election, have that opportunity. People who change their address, change their name, it’s important to do that. That’s what most of our election day registrations are. They’re not new people, they’re people who needed to make a change.

Frederica Freyberg:

And what do they need to bring if you need to register at your polling place on election day?

Kevin Kennedy:

Well, we refer to it as an identifying document that’s called proof of residence. Your driver’s license, Wisconsin ID card are usually your best bets, but the key element is it has to be current, it has to have your full name and your current addresses. So many driver’s licenses, since they're eight years, might not be up-to-date. Otherwise utility bills, including cell phone, cable television, water, gas, light, work. Student ID cards work, but you have to have proof of current enrollment. Any government-issued document will work. Property tax bills are a very good document. And, again, they have to be current. And statements from a financial institution, but it’s your statement, it’s not a copy of your check. It’s an actual financial statement showing your transactions on your account that’s current for the time period.

Frederica Freyberg:

It sounds onerous, but it’s really kind of not designed to be. But no photo ID is required this election to vote, notwithstanding the discussion about how that’s a very good piece to have if you want to register and it’s up-to-date. But is there lingering confusion over the voter ID thing, or not anymore?

Kevin Kennedy:

There is. You know, people don’t pay as much attention sometimes to the details of voting. And that’s why it’s good, I’m glad you opened the program with comment that voter ID is not required. We still get people who raise that question. We still see references. We have candidates who printed up literature that didn’t get distributed. We tried to get them to correct that as possible. But there is no ID required. If you are going to register to vote and you do have a driver’s license, though, you do need to record your driver’s license number, even if the address isn’t current, on your registration form. So that is important for people to know. When you go in on election day, if you have a driver’s license, you’re going to have to record that number on the form even if you use something else to show your proof of residence.

Frederica Freyberg:

Okay. Now very quickly, what are your turnout projections?

Kevin Kennedy:

We’re looking at a pretty high turnout, about 56.5%, 2.5 million voters at least, coming to the polls and casting absentee ballots.

Frederica Freyberg:

All right. Kevin Kennedy, thanks very much.

Kevin Kennedy:

You’re very welcome.