Wisconsin primary: Aug. 13 election deadlines, resources

Wisconsin primary approaching, what to know

Wisconsin’s primary election is one week away, set for Tuesday, Aug. 13.

MILWAUKEE - Wisconsin’s primary election is one week away, set for Tuesday, Aug. 13.

Debra Prophet, a Milwaukee voter, knows her vote matters, but she wants other voters to get to the polls, especially for the August primary.

"It sets the tone," she said. "It’s important. Please, I am begging you, just come out. It’ll only take a few minutes of your time."

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Paulina Gutierrez, the executive director of the Milwaukee Election Commission, said now is the time to do your research.

"It’s just long and there are a lot of seats that are open right now to be contested," Gutierrez said.

The District 4 Senate seat, previously held by Lena Taylor, is on the ballot. Dora Drake and LaKeshia Myers are the candidates.

Two referenda are also on the ballot.

One asks voters if the constitution should ban the Legislature from delegating its power of the purse. The second asks if the governor can spend federal money without the Legislature's approval.

There are some deadlines to be aware of. The first is applications for absentee ballots have to be submitted and received by Thursday by 5 p.m.

Then to register to vote, it depends where you live. But in Milwaukee, you can still register to vote at an early voting center. That has to be done by Friday.

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If you miss those dates you can still register to vote. That will just have to be one Election Day at your polling site.

"It’s really important that if voters drop off their ballots on Election Day they do it before 6 p.m.," Gutierrez said.

The Wisconsin Elections Commission said voter turnout in the 2022 primary was 21%, a number election workers hope to increase.

MyVote Wisconsin

There are two key deadlines to know ahead of the Aug. 13 primary:

Aug. 9 at 5 p.m.: Deadline to register to vote at your municipal clerk’s office. Voters may register in-person in their municipal clerk’s office during the clerk’s business hours until 5 p.m. on Aug. 9.

Aug. 13 from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m: Deadline to register to vote at your polling place. Voters can register to vote at their polling place on election day.

The earliest deadline directly tied to the Nov. 5 election is not until September. MyVote Wisconsin has a list of those deadlines available online.