Elections & Voting
Notice of Spring Election
APRIL 7, 2026
Office of the Vilas County Clerk
To the voters of Vilas County
Notice is hereby given of a spring election to be held in Vilas County on April 7, 2028, at which the officers named below shall be chosen. The names of the candidates for each office, whose nominations have been certified to or filed in this office, are given under the title of the office, each in its proper column, together with the questions submitted to a vote, for a referendum, if any.
Information to Voters
Upon entering the polling place and before being permitted to vote, a voter shall:
- state their name and address
- show an acceptable form of photo identification*
- sign the poll book**
*If a voter does not have acceptable photo identification, the voter may obtain a free photo ID for voting from the Division of Motor Vehicles.
**If the voter is unable to sign the poll book due to disability, a poll worker may write the word “exempt.”
If a voter is not registered to vote, they may register to vote at the polling place serving their residence if the voter provides proof of residence.
Where ballots are distributed to voters, the initials of two inspectors must appear on the ballot.
Upon being permitted to vote, the voter shall enter a voting booth or go to a machine and cast their ballot. The vote should not be cast in any manner other than specified here. Sample ballots or other materials to assist the voter in marking their ballot may be taken into the booth and copied. The sample ballot shall not be shown to anyone so as to reveal how the ballot is marked.
A voter who is a parent or guardian may be accompanied by the voter's minor child or minor ward.
An election official may inform the voter of the proper manner for casting a vote but the official may not advise or indicate a particular voting choice.
Assistance for Voting
A voter may select an individual to assist in casting their vote if the voter declares to the presiding official that they are unable to read, have difficulty reading, writing, or understanding English, or that due to disability are unable to cast their ballot. The selected individual rendering assistance may not be the voter's employer or an agent of that employer or an officer or agent of a labor organization which represents the voter.
Where Optical Scan Voting is Used
The voter shall fill in the oval next to the name of the candidate of their choice for each office for which he or she intends to vote. To vote for a person whose name does not appear on the ballot, the voter shall write in the name of the person of their choice in the space provided for a write-in vote and fill in the oval next to the write-in line. On referendum questions, the voter shall fill in the oval next to "yes" if in favor of the question, or the voter shall fill in the oval next to "no” if opposed to the question.
Spoiled Ballots
f a voter spoils an optical scan ballot, they shall return it to an election official who shall issue another ballot in its place, but not more than three ballots shall be issued to any one voter. If the ballot has not been initialed by two inspectors or is defective in any other way, the voter shall return it to the election official, who shall issue a proper ballot in its place.
After Voting the Ballot
‘After an official optical scan ballot is marked, it may be inserted in the security sleeve, so the marks do not show. The voter shall insert the ballot in the voting device and discard the sleeve or deliver the ballot to an inspector for deposit. If a central count system is used, the voter shall insert the ballot in the ballot box and discard the sleeve or deliver the ballot to an inspector for deposit. The voter shall leave the polling place promptly.
Voting by Absentee Ballot
Any qualified elector who is unable or unwilling to appear at the polling place on Election Day may submit a request to vote an absentee ballot to their municipal clerk. A qualified elector is any U.S. citizen, who will be 18 years of age or older on Election Day, who has resided in the ward or municipality where he or she wishes to vote for at least 28 consecutive days before the election. The elector must also be registered in order to receive an absentee ballot. Proof of identification must be provided before an absentee ballot may be issued.
You must make a request for an absentee ballot in writing or online at MyVote.wi.gov.
Contact your municipal clerk and request that an application for an absentee ballot be sent to you for the primary or election or both. You may also submit a written request in the form of a letter or you may apply for an absentee ballot online at MyVote.wi.gov. Your written request must include your voting address within the municipality where you wish to vote, the address where the absentee ballot should be sent, if different, your signature and a copy of your photo identification*. You may make application to your municipal clerk for an absentee ballot in person, by mail, by fax, by email or at MyVote.wi.gov.
Making application to receive an absentee ballot by mail
The deadline for making application to receive an absentee ballot by mail is:
5 pm on Thursday, April 2, 2026**
*Voters who are indefinitely confined due to age, illness, infirmity, or disability may not be required to provide photo ID. If this applies to you, contact the municipal clerk regarding deadlines for requesting and submitting an absentee ballot.
**Special absentee voting application provisions apply to electors who are indefinitely confined, in the military, hospitalized, or serving as a sequestered juror. If this applies to you, contact the municipal clerk regarding deadlines for requesting and submitting an absentee ballot.
Note: Special absentee voting application provisions apply to electors who are indefinitely confined to home or a care facility, in the military, hospitalized, or serving as a sequestered juror. If this applies to you, contact the municipal clerk regarding deadlines for requesting and submitting an absentee ballot.
Voting an absentee ballot in person
You may also request and vote an absentee ballot in the clerk's office or other specified location during the days and hours specified for casting an absentee ballot in person.
Please contact your municipal clerk for hours or appointment.
Heather Suffron
5733 Airport Road
Manitowish Waters, WI 54545
715-543-8400
Monday–Friday 10am-1pm
April 3, 2026 10am-5pm
The first day to vote an absentee ballot in the clerk’s office: Tuesday, March 24, 2026
The last day to vote an absentee ballot in the clerk's office: Friday, April 3, 2026
No in-person absentee voting may occur on the day before the election. The municipal clerk will deliver voted ballots returned on or before Election Day to the proper polling place or counting location before the polls close on APRIL 7, 2026. Any ballots received after the polls close will NOT be counted.