Elections & Voting
VILAS COUNTY GENERAL ELECTION
November 3, 2026
Address Must Match
Your current address must match the residential address in the poll book. If it does not, you will need to re-register with the clerk. Please bring your current WI Driver’s License OR another proof of residence (if your DL does not have accurate information).
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 list your voting address within the municipality where you wish to vote, the address where the absentee ballot should be sent, if different, and your signature. "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, October 29, 2026.
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.
Voting Options in Wisconsin
Anyone wishing to vote in the State of Wisconsin, where they are required to register, has four options:
- By Mail
Print and complete an Application for Voter Registration (EL-131): https://elections.wi.gov/sites/default/files/legacy/2020-06/El-131%2520Voter%2520Registration%2520App_Fillable-%2520%2528REV%25202020-06%2529_0.pdf.
Mail the completed application to the Town of Manitowish Waters Clerk’s Office. Application must be postmarked at least twenty (20) days before the election. Include proof of residency. Examples here: https://myvote.wi.gov/DesktopModules/GabMyVoteModules/api/document/getproofofresidencedoc
- In Person
Register in the Town Clerk’s Office up to 5:00pm on the Friday prior to Election Day.
- Online
Register to vote online at MyVote Wisconsin. Residents with a valid WI Driver’s License or Photo Identification card with current WI address can register online: https://myvote.wi.gov/en-us/. This link will walk you through the steps to register in Wisconsin. Application must be received at least twenty (20) days before the election.
- At the polling place on Election Day
If you wish to register to vote at your polling place, you must bring proof of residence (required of ANYONE registering to vote in the State of Wisconsin).
Please note that in order to register to vote in the State of Wisconsin, voters must establish residency at least 28 consecutive days prior to an election. Additional info on proof of residency can be found here: https://elections.wi.gov/sites/default/files/legacy/2021-08/29-30%2520Proof%2520of%2520Residence_for%25202021_0.pdf
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
Friday, October 30, 2026 10am-5pm
The first day to vote an absentee ballot in the clerk’s office: Tuesday, October 20, 2026.
The last day to vote an absentee ballot in the clerk's office: Friday, October 30, 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 November 3, 2026. Any ballots received after the polls close will NOT be counted.
Information To Voters for Election Day
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. If a voter is unable to state their name and address, an assistant may also do so for the voter.
Where Optical Scan Voting is Used
The voter shall fill in the oval or connect the arrow next to the name of the candidate of their choice for each office for which they intend 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 or connect the arrow next to the write-in line. On referendum questions, the voter shall fill in the oval or connect the arrow next to "yes" if in favor of the question, or the voter shall fill in the oval or connect the arrow next to "no" if opposed to the question.
Spoiling Ballots
If a voter spoils a paper or 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. f 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 paper ballot is marked, it shall be folded so that the inside marks do not show, but so the printed endorsements and inspectors' initials on the outside do show. The voter shalt then deposit their folded ballot in the proper ballot box or deliver the ballot to an inspector for deposit and leave the polling place promptly.
After an official optical scan ballot is marked, it may be inserted in a security sleeve so the marks do not show. The voter shall then insert the ballot in the voting device or deliver the ballot to an inspector for deposit. The voter shall leave the polling place promptly. View a sample of the official ballot.