Elections include changes

Residents casting ballots in spring's primary and general elections are reminded to bring photo identification to the polls.

A state law requiring voters to prevent photo identification went into effect in June.

To receive a ballot, voters must now display a Wisconsin driver's license, state ID card, military ID or a U.S. passport, or another approved form. These forms of identification are permissible even if they have expired after the most recent general election, which was Nov. 2, 2010.

"It is important for voters to know that their photo ID is not required to include a current address. The purpose of requiring a photo ID is to prove your identity, not where you live," Brookfield City Clerk Kelly Michaels said in a press release.

Other changes include:

Voters must sign the poll book next to their name to receive a ballot.

Voters still can register to vote on Election Day, but a person must now be a resident of the jurisdiction for 28 days before the election.

During in-person absentee voting, voters also must present a photo ID. In-person absentee voting now begins the third Monday before the election, and ends at 5 p.m. or the close of business the Friday before the election.

A photo ID also will be required for mail-in absentee voting. Most absentee voters must provide a photocopy of their photo ID card with their absentee ballot request.

There is an exception for voters in nursing homes and care facilities, as well as those at home who are "indefinitely confined" due to age, physical illness or infirmity, or who are disabled for an indefinite period. Instead of providing a copy of their photo ID, they may have their absentee witness verify their identity.

Contact the city clerk's office, (262) 796-6653, for specific information.

Learn more

For specific questions related to new voter identification laws, contact the city clerk's office at (262) 782-9650, or visit http://gab.wi.gov/elections-voting/photo-id to for additional information about the law.