As I’m sure you have seen by all the political ads covering every space imaginable, we are nearing the end of election season. Election Day will be coming up on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. Although it’s tempting to ignore it, voting is one of the most important things you can do as a US citizen. It’s not always easy to know when or how to vote, so let’s explain some of the basics about how you can vote at UW-Stout.
The hardest information to find about voting is where and when to vote. If you live on South Campus (South Hall, North Hall, AFM, CKTO, or HKMC), you will be voting at Merle Price Commons. If you live on North Campus (Fleming Hovlid, Red Cedar, Wigen, or JTC), you will be voting at the Menomonie City Hall, located at 800 Wilson Ave., Menomonie, WI, 54751. Both polling locations will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. If you live off campus or are otherwise unsure where to vote, you can find your polling place at myvote.wi.gov.
Once you arrive at your polling place, you will need some form of Wisconsin ID (or state ID) to register and vote. Your Wisconsin driver’s license will fulfill this requirement easily. Your BlueCard is also an accepted voter ID card, but you need to make sure it is not expired! If the expiration date on your BlueCard has passed, you will need to go down to the BlueCard Office in Merle Price Commons to receive a new one. You will need to bring the physical card with you as verification. They will not accept the virtual card on your phone!
If you have not registered to vote, that’s okay! Wisconsin is one of 23 states that allow same-day registration. All you will need is a valid ID and some kind of proof of residence. For those who live on campus, UW-Stout automatically generates a Voter Enrollment Letter that serves this function. You should have received an email from [email protected] that directly links to your letter. You can also find it on Access Stout by going to “Print Voter Enrollment Letter” in the “Student Center” tab. If you print this out before you go to vote, it will make registering much easier, but it is not required. If you live off campus, any official document that has your current address on it, like a bank statement or utility bill, can serve as your proof of residence.
Even if you don’t have everything ready by Election Day, you can still vote! There will be plenty of poll workers who will help you through every step of the process. All this information, as well as other information like what’s going to be on your ballot and how ballots are counted, can be found online at myvote.wi.gov. Participation in our democracy is one of the most important parts of what makes our nation great, and we should all do our best to get out and vote!
