Prepare to mark your ballots: It’s decision day in Wisconsin

Wisconsin already has one measure of public interest in Tuesday’s midterm elections: a record number of 547,954 absentee ballots were counted as of Sunday, blowing out the early voting total from the 2014 midterm by nearly 174,000 ballots.

Midterm elections generally draw between 50 percent and 55 percent of the voting age population, said Reid Magney, a spokesman for the Wisconsin Elections Commission. The 2014 midterm, between the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections, came in at the high end when it drew more than 2.4 million voters, or 55 percent.

Tuesday’s general election has all the ingredients to achieve that level of suc-

cess since ballots are crowded with several statewide races, including the too-close-to-call sprint to the governor’s office that pits incumbent Republican Gov. Scott Walker against Democrat Tony Evers, the state superintendent of public instruction.

The top of the ballot also features two women competing for a seat in the U.S. Senate, with incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin challenged by Republican state Sen. Leah Vukmir.

There is a tightening race for state attorney general as well as U.S. House and state legislative contests.

County sheriffs will be elected Tuesday and there are dozens of local referendums on building new schools or adding on to old ones, the legalization of marijuana for medical uses or adult recreation, and closing “dark store” property tax loopholes.

Here are what state residents will need to know to successfully use their right to vote:

Confirm you are registered to vote

You can check your registration status in advance at the My Vote Wisconsin website.

Know your polling place

Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday.

Your assigned polling place is based on where you live. You can find your polling place by entering your address at myvote.wi.gov.

If you have moved, you must vote at the polling place for your new address if you have lived there for at least 10 days and you will have to register.

Voters who have moved within Wisconsin less than 10 days before the election must vote from their previous address.

Show that ID

All registered voters will need to show an acceptable photo ID to vote at a polling place. Among the photo IDs acceptable for voting are a Wisconsin Department of Transportation-issued driver’s license; a Wisconsin DOT-issued identification card; a U.S. passport; a military ID card issued by a U.S. uniformed service; a veteran’s photo ID card issued by the Veterans Health Administration of the federal Department of Veterans Affairs; and an ID card issued by a federally recognized Indian tribe in Wisconsin.

More information on the photo ID requirement is available at bringitwisconsin.com.

The address on your ID doesn’t have to match your current address.

Register to vote at polling place

You can register to vote at your polling place on election day in Wisconsin.

This allows voters who meet the 10day residency requirement to register and vote the same day.

You will need to complete a voter registration application. You must provide a proof of residence document when registering to vote. Among the acceptable documents: a valid driver’s license, utility bill, paycheck or pay stub, bank statement, residential lease.

After registration, you will need to show an acceptable photo ID to receive a ballot.

Voters with disabilities

Disability Rights Wisconsin is reminding residents that curbside voting is available if a voter is unable to enter a polling place due to a disability. Two poll workers will bring a ballot to the individual and conduct voting at a vehicle or polling place entrance. Photo ID is required.

If a disabled voter inside the polling place is unable to sign the poll list due to a physical disability, the voter should inform a poll worker. The poll worker will write “exempt by order of inspectors” in the signature space on the poll list.

Accessible voting machines are available in each polling place.

To report a complaint, call the Wisconsin Elections Commission at (866) VOTE-WIS or the Disability Rights Wisconsin Voter Hotline at (844) DISVOTE.

Make sure you’re eligible

You are not eligible to vote in Wisconsin if you have been convicted of a felony and you are currently serving any portion of your sentence (including extended supervision, probation or parole, also known as being “on paper”), according to the Wisconsin Elections Commission.

Once you successfully complete your sentence and are no longer under the supervision of the Department of Corrections, your voting rights are restored and you regain your eligibility to vote. You must re-register to vote.