WISCONSIN IS HOLDING ITS CRUCIAL MIDTERM ELECTIONS – MAKE SURE YOUR VOICE IS HEARD!

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What elections are there in Wisconsin? What am I voting for?

Voting has never been more important and your vote is crucial! 

Wisconsin will hold its Midterm elections for US Representatives and US Senate as well as state-wide offices for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, State Supreme Court, and your State Assembly Members and State Senators. 

All Wisconsin overseas voters can vote in these important elections!

All overseas voters can vote for their US Representative and US Senator. Democrat Mandela Barnes is in excellent shape to defeat the awful Republican incumbent Senator, Ron Johnson, and add another badly-needed Democrat to the US Senate. 

AND you may also be able to vote for Governor, Lt Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, State Supreme Court, and your representatives to the Wisconsin state legislature. It depends on the category you choose when you request your ballot:

• If you "intend to return": You are eligible to vote in Wisconsin state elections.
  *You don't have to have a set date of return and it doesn't have to be within a set time frame, but you do need to have an intention to return at some time in the future.
  
  
• If your “return is uncertain”or if you’ve “never resided” in Wisconsin: You won’t be eligible to vote in Wisconsin state elections, but you can vote in the federal elections for the US House and US Senate.
  

  *Please note: Registering to vote and voting doesn’t change your tax status.
  But selecting “intend to return” rather than “my return is uncertain” may be one of several factors Wisconsin uses to determine whether you may be subject to state income tax. Before you note that you “intend to return” on your FPCA form, you may consider seeking advice on these matters from a tax professional.

Please vote for all the races on your ballot –  Wisconsin state elections are hugely important! State governments are responsible for voting and state policies on abortion and reproductive rights, climate change, education, and so many other issues that affect us no matter where we are in the world. 

It’s vital to keep Wisconsin Democratic! Vote to re-elect Democratic Gov. Tony Evers and send more Democrats to the Wisconsin Legislature. Republicans drew themselves a ridiculously lopsided map, but voting Democratic is the way to fight back. 

Want to join the Democrats Abroad Wisconsin State Team? If you’d like more info on DA’s efforts for Wisconsin, write to: [email protected] or click here

1) Register to Vote and Request Your Ballot Today

It's easy to request your ballot – and your ballot request covers all elections in 2022, including any possible Runoffs or Special Elections.

Go to www.votefromabroad.org and follow the prompts to fill out the form to request your ballot, the Federal Post Card Application form (FPCA). (If needed, it will also serve as a voter registration.) To ensure you receive your ballot in time, please check the box on the FPCA to have your blank ballot sent to you by “Email/Online” or “Fax”.

You must send in your FPCA to your local election office in Wisconsin:  

• If you are registered to vote, you MUST still send in an FPCA to request your ballot in 2022 to vote in this election. You may send in your FPCA by email (recommended) or fax or mail.
  
  
  • If you are a civilian overseas voter, your FPCA must be received by November 3, at 5pm Wisconsin time.
    
    
  • If you are the spouse or dependent of a member of the military, then your FPCA must be received by November 4, at 5pm Wisconsin time.
    
    
  • If you are a member of the military on active duty, your FPCA must be received by November 8, at 5pm Wisconsin time.
    
    
• If you are NOT registered to vote, then your FPCA must be sent in by mail only. Your FPCA must postmarked by October 19, 2022. 

Special Voter Registration Rule for Military and Family:
Members of the military and their spouses and dependents are not required to register to vote. However, they must still submit their FPCA form to request a ballot by the deadlines stated above.

You can check your voter registration status online using: https://myvote.wi.gov/en-us/MyVoterInfo
You may need to use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to connect to this website from outside the US. For more information about how to use a VPN, please click here.

2) When You Get Your Ballot, Fill It Out and Mail It Back Right Away 

Ballots started going out on September 24, 2022. If you asked for your ballot by email, be sure to check your spam folder and any secondary inboxes.

When you get your ballot, fill it out and mail it back right away. You must return your ballot by mail.

*REMEMBER: You must have a witness sign your voter materials AND provide their address.
Anyone who is 18 years or older can be a witness for an overseas ballot, they don't need to be a US citizen.
Please have them sign where indicated on the voter materials -- DO NOT SIGN THE BALLOT ITSELF OR IT WILL BE DISQUALIFIED!

Your ballot must be received in Wisconsin by November 8, at 8pm Wisconsin time. 

For ideas on how to mail your ballot back by the deadline, please click here 

*If you use a courier service (such as FedEx or DHL): Because new legislation isn't clear if more than 1 ballot may share a courier envelope, we recommend that individual ballots be placed in separate courier envelopes, even if your household has more than 1 voter.

And to contact DA volunteers in the country you're living in now for specific ideas for mailing back your ballot, please click here to go to the DA page for your country.

3) Send in a Backup Ballot Now 

You don’t need to wait until ballots come out in late September! If you have any concerns that your ballot won’t make it back in time to meet the deadline, you can send in a Backup Ballot NOW. 

The Backup Ballot (the Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot, or FWAB) is only for overseas voters and protects your right to vote in case your official ballot doesn't arrive in time. For detailed information how to use the Backup Ballot, please click here 

When you use the Backup Ballot for a federal election, the website will indicate the candidates for US Senate, and the candidates for US House in your Congressional District.

And if you’re eligible to vote in state elections, you can also use the Backup Ballot for state elections, but you will need to add those to the “Write In Candidates” section. You can use this website to find the candidates in your jurisdiction: http://ballotpedia.org/Sample_Ballot_Lookup

In the "Write in Candidates" block, type in the name of the office. Then type in either the candidate’s name or “Democrat.” 

Finally, when you print out your Backup Ballot materials, remember your witness must sign AND provide their address. (The Backup Ballot instructions fail to include this requirement). Your ballot witness must be at least 18 years old, but they don't have to be a US citizen.

DO NOT SIGN THE BACKUP BALLOT ITSELF OR IT WILL BE DISQUALIFIED! They should provide this information on the "Voter Information" page -- in Block 6. It should look like this:

4) Confirm That Your Ballot Was Accepted and Counted

After you send in your ballot, make sure your vote is counted!

You can check your ballot status online using: http://myvote.wi.gov/en-us/My-Voter-Info

You may need to use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to connect to this website from outside the US. For more information about how to use a VPN, please click here.

Or, you can email or call your local election office directly. You can find the contact information at: www.votefromabroad.org/states/WI; scroll down to "Find Your Election Office"

And if there is a problem with your ballot, you may be able to fix it – but you must return the corrected ballot by mail and the corrected ballot must be received by November 8, at 8pm Wisconsin time.

The earlier you send in your ballot, the more time you’ll have to fix any problems!

NEED HELP? EMAIL US AT [email protected]

Want to join the Democrats Abroad Wisconsin State Team?
Write to:  [email protected] or click here