The ideal way to cast your ballot is at the polls, on Election Day. But if you are unable or unwilling to vote at the polls on November 5th, please note the following:
- You must first be registered to vote in order to request an absentee ballot.*
- You must provide a photocopy of your ID with your absentee request, unless:
- You have recently voted absentee via mail and already provided a copy of your ID to the Town of Dakota.
- You are a military or overseas voter.
- You are confined to your home indefinitely because of illness or disability.
- Per state law, all requests for by-mail absentee ballots must be made in writing. You cannot simply call and ask that an absentee ballot be sent to you. Request your ballot in the following ways:
- Go to https://myvote.wi.gov/en-us/VoteAbsentee. The website will take you through the process. If you haven’t previously voted absentee in the Town of Dakota, you may have to upload an image of your photo ID.
- Go to https://elections.wi.gov/forms/EL-121-english and download the absentee application (Form EL-121). Complete it, make a copy of your photo ID, and mail the documents to N1470 State Road 22, Wautoma, WI 54982. If you don’t have Internet access, call the town hall at 920-787-4875 and ask that an absentee application be mailed to you. Please leave a message if no one is available, giving your name, phone number, and mailing address.
- Email [email protected] and include in your message the following information (remember to include a scan of your photo ID if you have not already provided this to the Town of Dakota clerk in a previous election where you voted by mail):
- Your full name
- Your Town of Dakota street address, and your mailing address, if different
- If you are indefinitely confined due to illness/disability, please make note of that as well
- PLEASE NOTE: A husband cannot make a request for a wife or vice versa. Each spouse must send/sign a separate email.
- Request your absentee ballot as soon as possible before the election. It takes time for ballots to go back and forth through the mail system. All ballots must be received at the town hall by 8 p.m. on Election Day, November 5, 2024, to be counted. To be safe, you should request your ballot at least 10 days before the election – but the sooner, the better!
- In-person absentee voting (“early voting”) will be available Tuesday, October 22 through Friday, November 1. If you wish to utilize this method of voting, you must make an appointment by calling or emailing the clerk (phone number and email address mentioned previously). Dakota does not have any full-time employees, so the town hall does not have regular office hours. Therefore, please don’t drop by the hall unannounced and expect to vote on the spot.
Since voting by absentee ballot is a privilege (whereas traditional at-the-polls voting is a constitutional right), it DOES require a bit more effort—on your part and the clerk’s. Please be patient and understanding of this.
As always, polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day.
* Online and by-mail voter registration is allowed through October 16. If you are NOT registered by October 16 and want to vote by absentee ballot, you have to make an appointment with the town clerk (920-787-4875) to register to vote in-person no later than 5 p.m. on Friday, November 1. You can vote absentee at the town hall immediately after registering. And, of course, you can always register to vote at the polls on Election Day prior to voting.