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Voter Information

Introduction
How, Where and When to Vote
Introduction
The TAA Political Program: an overview

The Teaching Assistants’ Association/AFT#3220 has long had an active political program run by volunteer members. Each April, members elect a Political Education Committee to coordinate political activity, do research on issues, elections and candidates and make recommendations to the TAA membership regarding positions on political matters. All decisions are made at General Membership Meetings at which every TAA member may vote. Funds for the political program come exclusively from voluntary contributions from TAA members, generally via a monthly payroll deduction to either the TAA-PAC or the TAA Democracy Fund. Dues money is never spent on politics.

How and why does the TAA make recommendations?

The TAA’s endorsement process involves reviewing completed questionnaires from candidates or interviewing candidates about where they stand on the issues that are important to TAA members. When the Political Education Committee decides that a race is of potential interest to TAA members, a questionnaire or invitation to an interview is sent to every candidate registered for the election regardless of party affiliation or past record in office. Usually Democratic and Green party candidates in Dane County are the only ones who respond. After reviewing the available information on the candidates, the Political Education Committee makes a recommendation to TAA members at the next General Membership Meeting. If none of the candidates appear to be strong on our issues, no recommendation is made.

The TAA endorses candidates for several reasons. First and foremost, our members want to know which candidates support the issues we care about as educators and union members. TAA members know that they can trust their union to provide them with information about upcoming elections. Second, endorsing candidates helps us build a working relationship with (hopefully) elected officials who support our issues. The process itself also educates candidates about these issues. Third, endorsing candidates is a way to get TAA members to volunteer on behalf of candidates who support us.

Why the 2007 Elections are important

The spring elections offer voters the opportunity to express their will in non-partisan races which include city and county elections (during different years) and judicial races. In 2007, voters will weigh in on Mayoral, School Board, Common Council, and Wisconsin Supreme Court races.

The local elections are important due to the fact that the common council and mayor are instrumental in setting policies that affect the quality of life of residents they represent. In Madison, past city initiatives include increase the minimum wage, the smoking ban, and an attempt to mandate paid sick leave for employees. Local transportation issues, land and real estate developments, and safety concerns among many other things are also addressed by the mayor and common council. Members of the school board, of course, oversee the schools in the districts they represent. Mayoral and school board races are city-wide and common council races are between candidates in each aldermanic district.

2007 sees the first open seat for the Wisconsin Supreme Court in quite some time. Judges often retire or die during their term and then replacements are appointed who are then the incumbents in the next election. Justices are elected for 10 year terms. State justices rule on the constitutionality of state law and interpret the extent to which statutes or laws apply to various situations. This year's race is particularly important as the new justice could have a significant impact on any rulings arising from cases brought regarding the recently passed constitutional amendment banning civil unions and marriages for same sex couples.

How, Where and When to Vote

For complete information, visit http://wisconsinvote.org/voterinfo/.

Registering to Vote in Wisconsin

For the State Elections Board’s complete listing of voter registration requirements, visit their website at: http://elections.state.wi.us/faq_detail.asp?faqid=119&fid=27

Registration is Wisconsin is very easy. We are one of only a handful of states that allow voters to register at the polling place on the day of the election. This is directly responsible for Wisconsin’s higher than average voter turnout. You are eligible to vote in Wisconsin if:

There are four ways to register to vote:

  1. At the city clerk's office. Any municipal clerk will register you to vote up to the day before the election. You'll need proof of age and residency.
  2. By a special registration deputy. Any eligible voter may be deputized to register voters. Many TAA members are deputized. You can be registered by a special registration deputy up to three weeks before an election.
  3. By mail. You can download form EB-131 and mail it to the municipal clerk in the city, village or town in which you vote. The State Elections Board has a complete list of all municipal clerks on their website.
  4. At the polls. You may register to vote at the polls on the day of the election. You'll need proof of age and residency OR a registered voter who will attest that they know you and know that you have resided at your address for at least ten days prior to the election.

There are several ways to prove your identity in order to register:

There are several ways to prove your residency:

If you do not have any of these forms of identification, another voter registered in your ward may “vouch” for you by attesting that you are eligible to vote. Once you are registered, you may vote in every election without proof of identity until you move and must register again.

Using Optical Scan Ballots

Most municipalities in Wisconsin use optical scan ballots, which are highly accurate, easy to use and provide the opportunity for a manual re-count. At the polling place, you will be given a ballot. In the booth will be a black marker. On the ballot, each office being elected is listed in order of Federal, State and Local elections. To cast a vote for the candidate of your choice, draw a line next to their name, completing an arrow that indicates your vote. Be sure to connect the line at both ends to the pre-marked arrows. At the top of the ballot is a list of political parties. These are for the purpose of casting a “Straight-ticket” vote. Marking these lines casts a vote for every member of that party on the ballot. You may not then vote for a member of another party, even if there is no member of the party for which you voted in an election. If you are voting at the polls, the scanning machine will reject your ballot if there are any marking errors. You may receive up to two replacement ballots. Feel free to ask for help form one of the election officials. If you are voting early or absentee, there will be no such verification, so it is important to check and make sure your ballot is correctly marked.

Finding your Polling Place

In the City of Madison:
Go to http://www.ci.madison.wi.us/clerk and click on “Where Do I Vote?”

In the Town of Madison:
Ward 1 votes at the Lakewood Gardens Apartments office, 1909 Sherman Ave#22.
All other wards vote at the Town Hall at 2120 Fish Hatchery Road.

In the City of Fitchburg:
Visit http://www.city.fitchburg.wi.us/309711.html and scroll down to the section titled “Where to Vote”

In the City of Monona:
Visit http://www.monona.wi.us/departments/city_clerk/elections.htm#locations to see a list of current polling locations.

In the City of Middleton:
Visit http://www.ci.middleton.wi.us/elected/voting.asp and scroll to the bottom of the page to look up your polling place.

In the City of Sun Prairie:
Visit http://www.sun-prairie.com/docs/sub.php?sub_id=1335 to see a list of polling places and download a map.

For other municipalities, contact the municipal clerk. All clerks are listed in a .pdf file at http://165.189.88.185/docview.asp?docid=6109&locid=47

Voting Dates and Times
Voting Early or Absentee

You may apply for an absentee ballot for any reason. The easiest way to do this is to go to the City Clerk’s office any time they are open (generally Monday through Friday from 8:30am to 4:30pm as well as the Saturday immediately before the election) in the three weeks preceding an election and ask to vote. You can both register and vote on the spot. You may also request an absentee ballot by mail. It is your responsibility to ensure that the ballot arrives by election day. Any late ballots received will not be counted.

Voting absentee for graduate students located outside the US

Anyone who is a student residing outside the US is qualified to vote as an “absentee voter” and may thus vote in state and local elections. DO NOT register as an “overseas voter” as you will only receive a ballot for federal races. It is important to make sure that you allow for ample time for the ballot to be received at the clerk’s office by election day. If you are located in a particularly remote location (for example, doing research in Antarctica where mail service is irregular), and you have not yet received a ballot in the mail in time to return it in a timely fashion, you may request that the municipal clerk fax it to you so that you may return it by mail on time. If you need to fax or e-mail a request for an absentee ballot, you must also include the original form via mail with your completed ballot.