Voting essentials

Students living in River Falls may register to vote in River Falls. Students wishing to vote in hometown races may register in their municipalities using their permanent (home) addresses. Votes must then be cast in the city of registration.

Wisconsin

The deadline for pre-registering to vote in the state of Wisconsin was Oct. 18.

People can still register at the municipal clerk’s office in their city prior to Election Day, or at their polling place the day of.

To be eligible to vote in the desired city of registration, one must reside at the current address for at least 10 days prior to the election.

A driver’s license or state identification number should be provided at registration. If neither are available, the last four digits of a Social Security Number can be used.

Proof of residency in the city must be established. Examples of acceptable forms of proof are a school ID with photo or a library card. A complete list of suitable forms of proof is available at the City of River Falls Web site: http://www.rfcity.org/local/votetax.html. This list also applies to all voters who wish to register throughout the state of Wisconsin.

Late registrations in River Falls are being accepted until Election Day at the municipal clerk’s office at City Hall, 123 E. Elm St, which is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

According to River Falls Deputy City Clerk Lu Ann Hecht, if one registers to vote in River Falls, they do give up the right to vote at their permanent (home) address. Residency at the permanent address must be re-established if they wish to vote there, Hecht said.

Minnesota

Pre-registration ended Oct. 17 in Minnesota.

Registration also takes place at the polling place on Election Day. According to the Minnesota Office of the Secretary of State Web site, examples of acceptable forms of proof of identification and residency required for registration are a Minnesota driver’s license, learner’s permit, identification card, or receipt for one, with a current (or permanent/home) address. 

A complete list of satisfactory forms of proof is available at the Web site at http://www.sos.state.mn.us/home/index.asp. 

Polling locations

Polling places in Wisconsin and Minnesota are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day. One must vote at the polling place closest to the address used to register to vote.

According to Tracey Gladstone-Sovell, political science department chair and pre-registration coordinator on campus, voters should bring a form of identification with them to the polls.

“If you really want to vote, just bring it with,” Gladstone-Sovell said.

Students who pre-registered should have received a postcard in the mail with their polling place information, she said.

River Falls

The city of River Falls is divided into four aldermanic, or voting, districts. The UWRF campus is located in District 2.

Students residing on campus who are registered to vote in River Falls will cast their ballots at Rodli Commons on Election Day.

For students residing off-campus in River Falls who are registered to vote in the city, a link to the voting district map, which includes polling place locations, may be reached at the City of River Falls Web site.

Greater Wisconsin

Students voting in greater Wisconsin may obtain their polling place data from the municipal clerk in the city they registered to vote in. A list of Wisconsin municipal clerks is available at the Wisconsin State Elections Board Web site at elections.state.wi.us/.
Minnesota

A polling place finder on the Minnesota Secretary of State Web site gives Minnesota residents a quick and easy way to find the location. The direct link to the finder is pollfinder.sos.state.mn.us/.

Absentee ballots

Registered voters who cannot make it to the polling place on Election Day have the option to cast an absentee ballot.

The deadline for requesting and submitting an absentee ballot through the mail has already passed. However, one may still cast a ballot in person prior to Nov. 7.