What to know about early voting in Milwaukee at Fiserv Forum, 13 other locations for November's election

Alison Dirr, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
·4 min read
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Milwaukee voters can cast their ballots in the 2022 Midterm Election early and in person, starting Oct. 25. Key races on the ballot include governor and U.S. senator. Early voting information for city residents is available at Milwaukee.gov/earlyvoting. Absentee ballot return options are available at Milwaukee.gov/election.

Here's what you need to know about early voting:

When will early voting take place?

Tuesday, Oct. 25 through Saturday, Nov. 5.

Curbside ballot returns will be available at early voting sites during their operating hours, according to the Milwaukee Election Commission website.

Voter registration, including changes to addresses, ends on Nov. 4 at all locations.

More:Wisconsin 2022 midterm election: Everything you need to know about voting and who is on the ballot

Where does early voting take place?

Weekdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturdays and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the following locations:

  • Midtown Shopping Center, 5740 W. Capitol Drive

  • Zeidler Municipal Building, 841 N. Broadway

  • American Serb Hall, 5101 W. Oklahoma Ave.

  • Good Hope Library, 7715 W. Good Hope Road

  • Washington Park Library, 2121 N. Sherman Blvd.

  • Flores Hall, 2997 S. 20th St.

  • Clinton Rose Senior Center, 3045 N. King Drive

From Oct. 31 to Nov. 5, additional locations will be available weekdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. They are:

  • East Library, 2320 N. Cramer St.

  • Mitchell Street Library, 906 W. Historic Mitchell St.

  • Tippecanoe Library, 3912 S. Howell Ave.

  • Villard Square Library, 5190 N. 35th St.

These additional locations will also be available at the specific times listed:

Fiserv Forum

Voters must use the Johnson Controls entrance on the corner of North 6th Street and West Juneau Avenue. There will be curbside voting at that location for those who are not able to go inside, and free parking will be available on Juneau between North 6th Street and North 5th Street.

9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Oct. 25, Oct. 27, Nov. 3, and Nov. 4

10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Oct. 29 and Nov. 5

Social Development Commission (SDC)

1730 W North Ave.

9 a.m. to 3 p.m. from Oct. 31 to Nov. 4

UW-Milwaukee Student Union

2200 E Kenwood Blvd.

10 a.m. to 2 p.m. from Oct. 31 through Nov. 4

What happens if I forget to add address information?

The Wisconsin Elections Commission earlier this month withdrew guidance allowing clerks to fill in missing address information on absentee ballots. The move was meant to comply with a recent court ruling declaring such practices illegal.

Woodall-Vogg previously told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that her office this year is providing an insert with every absentee ballot reminding voters to include a full witness address.

In cases where those addresses are not sufficiently filled out, she said if there is enough time before the election her office would be returning ballots to voters to make needed changes.

Closer to the election, they will be working to reach out to voters to see if they want the ballot returned to them or if they want to come to the city to cure it, she said.

Why Fiserv Forum is a voting site

Fiserv Forum will serve as one of Milwaukee's early voting sites for the Nov. 8 election, when heated races for governor and U.S. Senate will be on the ballot.

"On six special days leading up to the election, people who live in Milwaukee can come here to cast a ballot," Mayor Cavalier Johnson said during a news conference Tuesday outside the arena.

Milwaukee Bucks President Peter Feigin called the arena "an ideal early voting location, where everybody's voice can be heard in a responsible way" and said he'd be casting his ballot there.

Milwaukee Election Commission Executive Director Claire Woodall-Vogg said the site is accessible because of its downtown location.

The 14 early voting sites the city chose reflect voters' preferences for centrally located, familiar landmarks such as libraries, Midtown Shopping Center on the northwest side and Zeidler Municipal Building downtown, she said.

The arena's use this fall marks an accomplishment for the city two years after officials initially announced plans to use Fiserv Forum for early voting in the November 2020 election.

They backtracked months later due to concerns over potential legal challenges after a federal court rejected requests to expand in-person absentee voting and a Wisconsin Elections Commission notice to clerks said the state agency had "no ability to authorize" clerks to designate alternate or additional sites for in-person absentee voting for that November election. Those sites had to have been designated by June 12, the notice stated.

Contact Alison Dirr at 414-224-2383 or adirr@jrn.com. Follow her on Twitter @AlisonDirr.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Early voting in Milwaukee includes Fiserv Forum, 13 other locations