VOTER REGISTRATION
OLD LIBRARY 2136

In compliance the National Voter Registration Act of 1993

Voting provides every citizen with an opportunity to become active in their government. Each vote is important.

The National Voter Registration Act of 1993 requires states to designate all state-funded offices that primarily serve people with disabilities as mandatory voter registration offices. During the 1990's the National Coalition for Students with Disabilities Education and Legal Defense Fund (NCSD) worked through the courts to establish that services for students with disabilities offices at colleges and universities should be included as a designated voter registration office. NCSD wanted to get more individuals with disabilities registered to vote so that this population of citizens would be able to impact legislation.

The National Voter Registration Act of 1993 requires that students with disabilities must be offered the opportunity to register to vote with every contact they have with the Services for Students with Disabilities Office. By registering to vote prior to an election, you can expedite your voting process on Election Day.

(See http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/voting/nvra/activ_nvra.htm for more information.)

Who Can Vote?

Qualified voters must meet the following requirements:

1. You must be a U.S. citizen
2. You must be at least 18 years old on Election Day
3. You must have resided at your address for at least 10 days
4. You must not have lost your right to vote
5. You must register.

How do you register?

NOTE: The following instructions apply only if you live in the City of Eau Claire. Persons living outside of Eau Claire must register in their respective township. The Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) Office staff can assist you in identifying township contacts and procedures.

Registering is easy. You can register in the Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) Office (OL2136) Monday-Friday, 8:00 am-4:30 pm. To meet the federal requirements, you must provide either your Wisconsin driver's license number or the last four digits of your Social Security Number at the time you register. While you can register to vote at any time during the year, in order to vote in a specific election, registration in the SSD Office must take place at least 2 weeks prior to the election date. The SSD Office can also provide information about polling places.

You can also register at the Elections Office, City Hall, 203 S. Farwell Street, before Election Day or at your voting site on Election Day. On Election Day you will need to show one piece of identification showing both your complete name and current address. You can show a driver's license, state identification card, utility bill, a lease, tax statement or bank statement.

NOTE: If you register to vote in Eau Claire, you cannot vote in your home town elections, either by written ballot or absentee ballot..

How do you vote?

Polling places in the City of Eau Claire are open from 7:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. If you are already registered to vote, you will just need to tell the Election Officials your name and address, and they will find your name on the list of voters. You will then be given your voting number and directed to a voting booth.

The City of Eau Claire uses an optical scan voting system. To vote for the candidate of your choice, draw a line connecting the two parts of the arrow pointing to his or her name. If you make a mistake, return your ballot to the Election Officials and ask for a new ballot. If necessary, you can ask for assistance. The Election Officials have been trained to help voters. Once you have completed your ballet, take it to the ballot counting machine. Put it into the front of the machine. The counter will read your ballot and store the information on a memory pack. Your ballot is automatically dropped into a locked ballot box.

If you are unable or unwilling to go to the polling place on Election Day, you may vote by absentee ballot. You may vote by absentee ballot in person at City Hall three weeks before the election or request an absentee ballot by mail. The mailed request must be signed and the voter must be registered.

For additional absentee voting information you can visit the City of Eau Claire Website at www.ci.eau-claire.wi.us or call the City Elections Office at 839-4913.

How can you become involved?

You can become involved in the democratic process by becoming a poll worker. Poll workers register new voters, keep track of people who come to vote, answer questions, hand out and explain ballots, and work with the ballot counting equipment. Training sessions are held before each election. Poll workers are paid $6.10/hour and make approximately $100 for working for a day. A full day lasts from approximately 6:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. It is also possible to work half-day shifts, leave to attend classes, etc. In order to qualify as a poll worker, an applicant must be a US citizen, be a qualified voter and resident of the City of Eau Claire, be of good repute and character, be able to speak, read, and write English, and not be a candidate for any office at that specific election. For information and/or an application contact the City of Eau Claire Elections Office at 839-4913.