Absentee Voting

In-Person Absentee/Early Voting for April 7, 2026 Spring Election

In-person absentee/early voting will take place at Fitchburg City Hall, 5520 Lacy Rd, regardless of your polling location. Fitchburg residents only.

You can register and absentee vote during the same visit. Register to vote here if you would like to register beforehand. Again, you are also able to register in person at your municipal clerk's office. For more information on registering visit the "voter registration" tab to left on this page or click here.

Note: Hours MIGHT be extended to accommodate in-person absentee voting, depending on the Election, please see below.

In-person Absentee/Early Voting hours for the Spring Election:

   WEEK ONE - March 24, 2026 to March 27, 2026: 8:00am - 4:00pm (Tuesday - Friday)

WEEK TWO - March 30, 2026 to April 3, 2026: 8:00am - 5:00pm (Monday - Friday)

Note: LAST DAY to vote in-person absentee is April 3, 2026. There is NO voting the Monday before an election.


Requesting a Ballot by Mail

To request a ballot to be mailed to you, please visit the MyVote website (https://myvote.wi.gov) using Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Firefox, or Safari as your web browser. You may be required to submit photo identification with your application - please, no selfies.

Please visit the “Bring it to the Ballot” (https://bringit.wi.gov/) web site for information on photo identification.

Deadline for requesting an absentee ballot by mail is April 2, 2026. Please keep in mind that this does not allow much time, we are required to fulfill this request, but we cannot ensure that you will get it in time.  

Casting an Absentee Ballot

For State and Local Elections, Absentee ballots will be in the mail 20 days prior to the Election. For Federal elections, absentee ballots will be in the mail beginning 45 days prior to the election. All absentee ballots are delivered to the polls on Election Day to be counted.

In order to cast an absentee ballot, you must first be registered to vote.

Ways to Obtain an Absentee Ballot 

Online

You may request an absentee ballot online through MyVote.

By Mail

Download the Absentee Ballot Application and mail, e-mail, fax, or deliver it to the City Clerk's Office. This form is provided for your convenience, but you are not required to use a form. You may submit an absentee request online at MyVote, or you may send a written request that includes:

  • Name
  • Fitchburg Address
  • Address at which you would like the ballot mailed
  • Signature
  • Send the request via email to:  clerk@fitchburgwi.gov or you may mail the request to: City Clerk, 5520 Lacy Road, Fitchburg, WI  53711 - ** Photo ID must be provided (if not already on file in the clerk's office) 

All applications must be received by the Clerk no later than 5 p.m. on the Thursday before the election in order for an absentee ballot to be mailed to you.

Permanent Absentee Ballot

If you are indefinitely confined because of age, illness, infirmity or disability, you can receive an absentee ballot on a permanent basis by completing the permanent absentee ballot application. This request is also available and can be completed online via MyVote (photo ID not required).

To View the City of Fitchburg notices (§6.875(6) of dates and times we will be conducting absentee voting in Care Facilities click here. 

By Email

Email ballots are available during federal elections to Military and Overseas voters. Please send your request to clerk@fitchburgwi.gov. Be sure to include your name, address at which you are registered, email address to which you would like the ballot sent to, and a copy of your Photo ID (if not already on file in the Clerk's office). The deadline to request an absentee ballot is 5:00 p.m. on the Thursday prior to the election.

  • NOTE:  You will receive your ballot and absentee certification statement as attachments to an email message.  You will need to print the ballot and certification statement on paper and get them back to the Clerk's office through the mail.  Your ballot should be sealed in a business sized envelope with the certification affixed to the outside of the business envelope.  The business envelope should then be placed in a larger envelope with a notation of "absentee ballot enclosed" and mailed to: City Clerk, 5520 Lacy Road, Fitchburg, WI  53711

NOTE: In Order for your Absentee Ballot to be counted, all absentee ballots must include the Voters Signature, Witness Name, Witness Signature and Witness Address on the certificate Envelope.  Absentee Ballots must be received by the municipal clerk's office no later than 4:00 p.m. on Election Day in order to be counted.

Use of Drop Box

Fitchburg residents use only.

Drop Box is open during AND outside City Hall hours, meaning its 24/7 for your convenience. Located in the front foyer entrance of Fitchburg City Hall, 5520 Lacy Rd. 

Drop Box will CLOSE and become INACCESSIBLE as a means to return your absentee ballot on Election Day. After this time, you MUST return your ballot to YOUR polling Location by 8:00 PM (close of Polls) in order to be counted.


On July 5, 2024, the Wisconsin Supreme Court overruled its prior decision, in part, in Teigen v. WEC, and held that secure drop boxes were permitted under state law as a valid method of absentee ballot return. The decision is binding on all lower Wisconsin courts. The use of drop boxes is not mandatory and is at the discretion of the municipal clerk.  

Who can return a ballot to a drop box?

A voter may return his or her own ballot. An individual may also return the ballot of anyone he or she is lawfully assisting, such as a voter with a disability or a hospitalized voter. An individual is permitted to provide assistance to more than one disabled or hospitalized absentee voter. These principles were issued in Commission guidance following the litigation in Carey v. WEC, and are unchanged by the Priorities USA decision.4 

Update:  Guidance on Absentee Ballot Return Options Under the Federal Voting Rights Act

 Pursuant to the Voting Rights Act, any Wisconsin voter who requires assistance with mailing or delivering their absentee ballot to the municipal clerk because of a disability must be permitted to receive such assistance by a person of the voter's choice, other than the voter's employer or agent of that employer or officer or agent of the voter's union.


In administering future elections, the City of Fitchburg shall comply with the above statutory requirement.

What does this mean?

When we are presented with an absentee ballot delivered in-person to the Clerk's Office, we will ask the following questions:

  • Are you the voter?  If not, then:
  • Are you delivering the voter's ballot because the voter has determined that they require assistance returning their ballot due to their disability?  If yes, then:
  • Are you someone other than the voter's employer, an agent of that employer, or an officer or agent of the voter's union?  If yes, then the ballot will be accepted.

If you are not registered to vote, visit MyVote. You may submit both a voter registration application and an application for an absentee ballot at the same time.

The Wisconsin Elections Commission is another helpful resource, click here.