#VotePublic 

VOTE PUBLIC is an invitation to all supporters of public schools to make public education a focus of all elections – local, state and national. Knowing where candidates stand on issues impacting our public schools is essential to electing strong supporters of our students. Vote Public is also a challenge to hold our elected officials accountable for making votes that benefit our students and public schools once elected. Click here to learn more about the #VotePublic campaign and our goals.

#VotePublic statewide week of action is Oct. 1-6: VOTE PUBLIC Week of Action! We call on all local teams, districts, and organizations to coordinate actions and help us amplify them during this week. Whether you’re holding a forum or writing postcards, sharing candidate information or getting to know where candidates stand, you can be part of this week of action! Our goal is to spread the I LOVE MY PUBLIC SCHOOL AND I VOTE message statewide during this week! Let’s blast our local papers with letters to the editor during this week, and let our communities know we support strong public schools!

#VotePublic was the theme of Wisconsin Public Education Network’s 4th Annual Summer Summit, which was held on August 1, 2018 at Appleton North High School. Visit our Summer Summit Center to access resources from the event!

Templates and Tools (check back regularly for new resources!)

2018 Upcoming Wisconsin Elections:

  • Tuesday, August 14: Partisan Primary
  • Tuesday, Nov. 6: General Election

Polls are open 7am to 8pm statewide on Election Day, and you can also vote absentee at your local municipal clerk’s office. In-person absentee voting (also known as early voting) runs on weekdays for two weeks before an election, ending at 5 p.m. or the close of business (whichever is later) on the Friday before the election. Check with your local clerk’s office for dates and hours (varies by municipalities). Click here to register to vote, see your ballot, find your polling place and more: MyVote.Wi.gov

Trainings, Events & Workshops

  • Sept. 20: State of Education Address, State Captiol, Madison
  • Sept 22: Teaching about the 2018 Elections: Preparing Students for Political Engagement, UW-Madison
  • The Progressive Media Project trainings – six FREE full day op-ed writing workshops this fall throughout WI. These workshops are open to anyone and are a great opportunity for nonprofit leaders, activists, community organizers, teachers and students. WPEN partners have found past workshops extremely valuable in helping craft and deliver strong messages of support for local schools.
    • September 21 – Madison Public Library- Register
    • October 5– Janesville Basics Cooperative Natural Foods- Register
    • October 12– Shawano Shawano Community Middle School- Register
    • November 2 – La Crosse Ho-Chunk Nation Three Rivers House- Register
    • November 9 – Stevens Point Portage County Public Library- Register
    • December 7 –Milwaukee Wisconsin Voices- Register
5 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THE AUGUST 14 ELECTION.
  1. YOU CAN REGISTER TO VOTE ON ELECTION DAY.
    You can still REGISTER TO VOTE AT THE POLLS on Election Day and you can REGISTER TO VOTE at your municipal voting location when you vote early (absentee) if you are voting in-person absentee – which is going on now through the week before the election!
    If you have moved or need to register for the first time, you will need to provide proof of residence when you register. If your drivers license has your current address, it can serve as both proof of identification and proof of residence (it has to be unexpired to serve as proof of residence). Click here for a full list of acceptable proof of residence: https://elections.wi.gov/publications/voter-guides/proof-of-residence. If you register online by Wednesday, July 25, your name will be in the poll books when you go in person to vote on August 14.
  2. YOU NEED A PHOTO ID TO VOTE. If you bring a driver’s license, make sure it did not expire before Nov. 8, 2016. Full list of acceptable photo ID here: https://www.bringitwisconsin.com
  3. YOU CAN GET ALL YOUR ANSWERS IN ONE PLACE.  See your sample ballot, register to vote, and find your polling place at https://myvote.wi.gov/en-us/
  4. Here are the dates that matter most:
    July 25: deadline for online registration if you want your name in the poll book on August 14
    Thurs August 9: Last day to request an absentee ballot be mailed to you at your home.
    Sun Aug 12 or Fri August 10: Last day to vote IN PERSON ABSENTEE at your local municipal clerk’s voting locations (note: the last legal day is Sunday but in many municipalities the office will be closed Sat/Sun so the last day is Friday Aug. 10) CHECK WITH YOUR CLERK FOR LOCAL HOURS/LOCATIONS.
    Tues. August 14: Election Day. Polls are open 7am – 8pm statewide.
  5. The August 14 election is a PARTISAN PRIMARY. That means that you must vote for ONE PARTY ONLY on your entire ballot. You do not have to vote for every office on the ballot, but every candidate you vote for must be a member of the same party. If you vote for candidates from different parties, your ballot will be invalidated and your votes will not count.You might also note that candidates who met the filing deadline but have since dropped out of the race will still appear on the ballot. On the Democratic ticket for Governor, this includes Andy Gronik and Dana Wachs.