Absentee Voting
If you will be out of town on an election day and still want to vote, learn about absentee voting. You may also request an absentee ballot at myvote.wi.gov.
The sooner you request your ballot, the better!
The deadline for municipal clerks to send absentee ballots for the Spring Election to voters with an active request already on file is March 17, 2026. Requests for absentee ballots received after this date will be fulfilled within 24-48 business hours.
Requesting An Absentee Ballot
Contact your municipal clerk and request that an application for an absentee ballot be sent to you. You may make written application to your municipal clerk for an absentee ballot by mail, by fax, by email or at MyVote.wi.gov.
Your written request must include:
- Your voting address within the municipality where you wish to vote
- The address where the absentee ballot should be sent, if different
- Your signature
- A copy of your photo identification*
*Voters who are indefinitely confined due to age, illness, infirmity, or disability may not be required to provide photo ID. If this applies to you, contact the municipal clerk regarding deadlines for requesting and submitting an absentee ballot.
Special absentee voting application provisions apply to electors who are indefinitely confined, 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.
Returning Your Absentee Ballot
Absentee ballots can be returned in a number of ways:
- Mail it back. Allow at least one week for mail.
- Deposit it in the official City of Eau Claire Ballot Drop Box. There will be ONE drop box for the Spring Election. It will be located outside of City Hall, near the main public entrance. To access the drop box, enter the City Hall parking lot from Grand Avenue. The drop box will be available 24-hours a day, beginning at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, March 17, 2026 though Monday, April 6, 2026 at 8 a.m. The site is under video surveillance.
- Drop it off at the Elections Office, across the alley from City Hall.
- Drop it off at your polling place on Election Day.
- Drop it off during In-Person Absentee Voting, held in the Elections Office, across the alley from City Hall, 203 S. Farwell Street weekdays from Tuesday, March 24, 2026, until Friday, April 3, 2026.
In-Person Absentee Voting
In-Person Absentee Voting will be held in the Elections Office, across the alley from City Hall, 203 S. Farwell Street. It will begin on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, and will be available weekdays through Friday, April 3, 2026. Hours of operation are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. On Monday, March 30, and Thursday, April 2, hours of operation are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Individuals may also register to vote and request/complete/return a ballot.
Voters with disabilities
Voters with disabilities have the right to assistance in returning an absentee ballot. The voter’s assistant can be anyone who is not the voter’s employer, an agent of the employer, a representative of their labor union, or a candidate on the ballot.
PLEASE NOTE that your completed ballot must be received by Elections staff in time for it to be delivered to your polling place no later than 8:00 p.m. on Election Day.
Official City of Eau Claire Ballot Drop Box
