Friends and Neighbors,

I just emailed to let you know that today is the last day to submit a request for an absentee ballot. Since that time, news broke about a federal judge extending this timeline. The updated information is below.

Tomorrow is the last day that you can submit an online request to vote absentee. Voting absentee will limit your exposure to COVID-19. This will help keep our election volunteers safer and flatten the curve. 

To vote absentee, you may go online to myvote.wi.gov and submit an online request to vote via mail. The deadline to request your ballot is 5:00PM tomorrow (April 3).

Please request your absentee ballot and help keep our communities safe. We truly are Safer at Home, and voting absentee preserves this.

The federal judge also extended the deadline so that your absentee ballot will be counted if your municipal clerk recieves it by April 13th. This gives voters more time to receive their ballot, fill it out, and return it to their clerk.

Finally, voters may skip the witness signature requirement if they provide a statement with their absentee ballot saying they could not safely obtain a witness' signature in this pandemic.

Reducing the public health risk of COVID-19 is a priority. This means reducing the amount of times you go in public and interact face to face with people outside of your household. I urge you to request your absentee ballot today. 

What else can you do to prevent COVID-19 spread?

The best way to prevent the spread of COVID-19 is to avoid being exposed to the virus. You can do this by following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the State Government Website on COVID-19, or the Columbia County, Dane County, Iowa County, and Sauk County websites.

Importantly:

• Stay at home: read and follow Governor Evers' Safer at Home initiative, and only take essential trips such as to your work, the grocery store, pharmacy, or health care center
• Practice social distancing: stay 6 feet apart from people when in public, and limit your social circles to seeing as few people as possible (however, please make sure to virtually keep in touch with your entire support system)
• Clean often: wash your hands regularly for at least 20 seconds, cover your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing, and refrain from touching other people (shaking hands)
• Be mindful: if you are sick or think you may have come into contact with someone who is sick, stay home, avoid touching your face, and clean frequently touched surfaces often

I encourage you to reach out to my office with any questions or concerns during this time. It is important to me to hear from you on issues at the state level. Thank you to everyone who has already contacted my office.