Young Wisconsin voters are on track to crush their demographics’ turnout numbers from the 2016 election, with over 21,000 more registered voters in the 18-24-year-old age bracket as of Oct. 1, 2020 compared to the same date in 2016, according to data from the Wisconsin Elections Commission.
If these newly registered voters cast ballots in the Nov. 3 election, they could significantly increase the pull younger voters have, amplifying their voices in the governmental process and forcing politicians to pay closer attention to what younger people want.
A recent Tufts University study ranked young voters in Wisconsin as having the most significant impact on the election outcome out of young voters in the whole United States.
Professor at UW-Madison’s La Follette School of Public Affairs Gregory Nemet said the percentage of voters who think climate change is a critical issue has risen to the same level as voters who think gun control or abortion are critical issues.
Single issue voters such as people who vote based only on a candidate’s gun control or abortion policy have been able to capture the attention of lawmakers for decades, forming immensely powerful lobbying groups like the National Rifle Association and dozens of anti-abortion lobbying groups.
While experts predict young voters to have a much stronger voice this election, young Milwaukee voters need to either vote early online or in-person at one of the early voting locations listed in this article to ensure that power is exercised.
Registered voters need to bring a valid ID to vote. Even though this Wisconsin state government funded website might seem to be full of pop-up ads and viruses at first glance, you can find everything you need to know about what forms of ID are valid by clicking around.
Wisconsinites who haven’t registered to vote yet can still register in person at the same place they vote. Same day voter registration means Wisconsinites can register and vote in the same day until the end of voter registration location hours November 1.
Early in person voting in Wisconsin is sometimes also called in person absentee voting, but they are the same.
Early voting (and registration) locations:
- University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Student Union, 2200 E Kenwood Blvd
- Mondays – Fridays 10am to 3pm
- Frank P. Zeidler Municipal Building, 841 N Broadway, Room 102 (Registered voters enter from Market Street. Voters needing to update address/name enter from Broadway)
- Midtown Center, N 58th Street & W Capitol Drive (east of Subway & west of Pick ‘n Save)
- Zablocki Library, 3501 W Oklahoma Ave
- Mondays – Fridays 8am to 7pm
- Saturdays – Sundays 10am to 4pm
- Bay View Library, 2566 S Kinnickinnic Ave
- Cannon Park Pavilion, 303 N 95th St
- Clinton Rose Senior Center, 3045 N Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr
- East Library, 2320 N Cramer St
- Good Hope Library, 7715 W Good Hope Rd
- Mitchell Street Library, 906 W Historic Mitchell St
- Tippecanoe Library, 3912 S Howell Ave
- Villard Square Library, 5190 N 35th St
- Washington Park Library, 2121 N Sherman Blvd
- Mondays & Tuesdays 7am to 1pm
- Wednesdays, Thursdays & Fridays 1pm to 7pm
- Saturdays – Sundays 10am to 4pm
- Milwaukee Area Technical College, 1101 N 6th St (T Building)
- Mondays – Saturdays 11am to 2pm, starting on Wednesday, October 21st
- Independence First, 540 S 1st St
- Manitoba School, 4040 W Forest Home Ave
- Independence First and Manitoba School are by appointment only. Appointment requests will be considered after October 20th. Please note requests are honored based on the voter’s inability to vote at any of the other sites during the scheduled voting hours. Please email kdzapat@milwaukee.gov to request an appointment.