VOTE ON FEBRUARY 16

MARK YOUR CALENDAR. PLAN TO VOTE AT THESE FOUR ELECTIONS IN 2016:

February 16….nonpartisan primaries

April 5….vote for a new Supreme Court justice and many local officials including every county board member, and Wisconsin’s Presidential Preference vote.

August 9….partisan primary (not including president)

November 8…elect President of the United States, all members of the State Assembly, half the State Senate and other local partisan positions.

Wisconsin now has some of the strictest voting laws in the nation. You will need a photo ID to vote.

For 80 per cent of us, it means we must remember to take our driver’s license which will serve as our photo ID.

However, voting will be more complicated for some elderly, college students, people who have no driver’s license, people who have moved and people who frequently travel.

Confusion will be increased in July, when two partisan commissions will replace the nonpartisan GAB (Government Accountability Board). The GAB will not exist after June.

It may take some time to get your voter ID. Start with your local Department of Motor Vehicles office. DMV office locations can be found at

http://wisconsindot.gov/Pages/online-srvcs/find-dmv/default.aspx.

ID’s are free. You will need to bring proof of your name, date of birth, Wisconsin residency and your social security card (if you have one).

If you cannot vote at the polling place, you will need to vote by mail or during much-restricted early voting hours. You need a copy of your ID to vote by mail unless you are military or a permanent overseas voter.

You can find more voter ID details at http://www.bringit.wi.gov