Across Wisconsin, Cities Take Part In National Voter Registration Day

Tuesday is National Voter Registration Day and Wisconsin cities like Green Bay, Minocqua, Madison and Milwaukee will be hosing events where people can learn how to register for the November election.

Maggie Hefter, Fond du Lac’s city clerk, said there are about 23,000 registered voters in the city — an average for a non-presidential election year — and as the November election draws near, the city is seeing five to 10 new registrations online every day.

Hefter said she hopes to encourage more people to register at events at Marian University on Monday and for National Voter Registration Day on Tuesday.

“It just speeds up the whole process,” she explained. “We have limited staff here so the more people who do it online, it actually lessens the burden in our office.”

The deadline for online and mail registration is Wednesday, Oct. 17 and voters can register at their polling places on Election Day, but Hefter said registering beforehand can help alleviate wait times.

In Kenosha, an advocacy group is hosting a voter info session in Civic Center Park.

If people miss that session, Kenosha City Clerk and Treasurer Debra Salas said there are multiple resources available to voters.

If people are unable to register online, they can register at any public library, where they can also go over what counts as a valid ID and proof of residence.

Salas also suggested voting early as a way to avoid Election Day stress.

“It’s not difficult to register to vote or early vote,” she said. “There’s all sorts of options for people and I just hope they’re not intimidated by the thought of it.”