Skip to content

Voters strongly encouraged to absentee vote by mail

Editor’s note: This article includes updated information received after our papers were printed.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, voters are strongly urged to act now to vote absentee for the April 7 Spring Election and Presidential Preference Primary. The Wisconsin Elections Commission encourages all Wisconsin voters who want to vote in the April 7 election to request an absentee ballot by mail.

“Polls will be open for those who need them on Election Day, but most voters should vote absentee for this election,” said VanPembrook. “For that to happen, you should request an absentee ballot as soon as possible.”

How to Request an Absentee Ballot

There are multiple ways to request an absentee ballot in Wisconsin, which are listed below. It is important to note that the contact information on the list below for numbers 2, 3, and 4 is specific contact information for the Town of Florence. If you live in a different municipality, you will need to contact your clerk directly to receive an absentee ballot.

Absentee Voting by Mail:

1.)  Voters can go online to www.myvote.wi.gov and request a ballot be mailed to them.

2.)  Voters may also request a ballot by sending an e-mail to the Town of Florence office. The e-mail address is svanpembrook@wppienergy.org.

3.)  Voters can send something in writing to the Town of Florence by dropping it off at the Town of Florence Office located at 749 Central Ave or by mailing it to the Town of Florence at P.O. Box 247; Florence, WI 54121.

4.)  Voters can fax a request for an absentee ballot by sending the fax to 715-528-3591.

What information does an absentee request by mail need to have? In order to receive a ballot, the voter needs to have a request on file that states:

–     Voter’s name

–     Voter’s registered voting address

–     Where the Voter wants the ballot mailed to

–     What elections the voter wants to receive the ballot for—i.e. this election, all elections in 2020, or as an indefinitely confined voter to receive every ballot from the date of the request onward, etc.

–     Photo ID – a copy of the voter’s photo ID must be on file before an absentee ballot can be mailed to the voter. If the voter has voted by mail as an absentee in the past, the ID may already be on file. Otherwise a copy of the photo ID must be included with the absentee request. Indefinitely confined voters, military voters and permanent overseas voters are exempt from needing to provide a photo ID for an absentee request.

In-person Absentee Voting:

For the health and safety of the voters, voters are discouraged from in-person absentee voting. However, voters who are unable to absentee vote by mail can vote in-person via absentee ballot at the Town of Florence office during regular office hours, but voters are asked to call ahead to make an appointment at 715-528-3595. In-person voting ends on the Friday before the election (April 3rd for the spring election) at 5:00 p.m. Voters will need to bring a valid Photo ID to be able to vote in-person.

Absentee Voting Deadlines:

   Thursday, April 2 at 5:00 p.m. is the latest that the clerk can mail ballots to regular absentee voters.

   Friday, April 3 at 5:00 p.m. is the latest that the clerk can mail ballots to indefinitely confined absentee voters (those voters who are indefinitely confined because of age, illness, infirmity or disability)

   Friday, April 3 at 5:00 p.m. is the latest that a voter can absentee vote in-person at the clerk’s office

   Tuesday, April 7 at 8:00 p.m. All absentee ballots must be received at the polling place no later than 8:00 p.m. on Election Day.

Voters are encouraged to vote their ballot and return it as soon as possible as mailing time can take up to a week or more for the ballot to be received. If voters have any questions, please contact the Town of Florence Office at 715-528-3595.