Wisconsin elections, 2022

This page is an overview of the 2022 Wisconsin elections, including the offices on the ballot covered by Ballotpedia, election dates, and frequently asked questions.

Offices on the ballot[edit]

Election dates[edit]

Statewide election dates in Wisconsin are listed below. For more dates, please see the elections calendar.

Statewide election dates[edit]

February 15, 2022: Judicial primary
April 5, 2022 : Judicial general election
August 9, 2022: Primary
November 8, 2022: General election


Polling hours:

Local election dates

Ballotpedia provides comprehensive ballot coverage of municipal elections in the nation's 100 largest cities by population, including races for trial court judgeships and county offices that overlap them. Ballotpedia also covers the nation's 200 largest public school districts by student enrollment and all school districts overlapping the top 100 cities by population.

Frequently asked questions

When are the polls open?

See State Poll Opening and Closing Times (2022) for more information

Where can I find election results?

Election results are posted on Ballotpedia's election overview pages, as well as the relevant candidate pages. You can find links to the current election overview pages in the "Offices on the ballot" section of this page.

How do primaries work in Wisconsin?

A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Wisconsin utilizes an open primary system; registered voters do not have to be members of a party to vote in that party's primary.^[1][2][3][4]

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

How do I register to vote?

To register to vote in Wisconsin, one must be a citizen of the United States and a resident of Wisconsin for at least 28 days prior to the election. A voter must be at least 18 years of age.^[5][6]

One can register by mailing a form to the local municipal clerk. An individual can also register in person at the municipal clerk's office. If registering by mail, the application must be postmarked no later than 20 days before the election. In-person registration must be completed by 5 p.m. on the Friday before Election Day. Same-day voter registration is also available, as long as the registrant provides proof of residency at the polls.^[5]

Is there an early voting period?

See also: Early voting

Wisconsin permits early voting. Learn more by visiting this website.

Who is eligible for absentee voting?

See also: Absentee/mail-in voting

The table below displays absentee voting information specific to Wisconsin's 2022 primary election.

All voters are eligible to vote absentee in Wisconsin. There are no special eligibility requirements for voting absentee.^[7]

To vote absentee, an application must be received by the municipal clerk no later than 5 p.m. on the Thursday before Election Day. If mailed through the U.S. Postal Service, a returned absentee ballot "must be postmarked no later than Election Day and received by the municipal clerk no later than 4 p.m. on the Friday after the election." For other means of delivery, the completed ballot must be "delivered to the municipal clerk no later than 8 p.m. on Election Day."^[7]

What are the voter ID laws in Wisconsin?

See Voter identification laws by state.

How do I file to run for office?

See Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Wisconsin for information on how to run for state or federal office.

What does Ballotpedia cover?

Ballotpedia's coverage extends to all elections on the federal level, all gubernatorial, state legislative, statewide ballot measure, and statewide judicial elections, as well as many other types of state executive offices. Local election coverage includes comprehensive ballot coverage for municipal and judicial elections in the top 100 cities by population and races for the large counties that overlap them. In the state capitals outside of the 100 largest cities, it includes coverage of mayoral, city council, and district attorney elections. It also includes school board elections in the top 200 largest school districts by enrollment, all California local ballot measures, and notable local ballot measures from across the nation. Ballotpedia also covers all elections in the U.S. territories but not elections in other countries.

How do I contact Ballotpedia with a question?

Email us at editor@ballotpedia.org.

Redistricting following the 2020 census

This section lists major events in the post-2020 census redistricting cycle in reverse chronological order. Major events include the release of apportionment data, the release of census population data, the introduction of formal map proposals, the enactment of new maps, and noteworthy court challenges. Click the dates below for additional information.

• April 15, 2022: The Wisconsin Supreme Court approved state legislative maps drawn by the state legislature.
• March 23, 2022: The U.S. Supreme Court reversed the Wisconsin Supreme Court's decision adopting Gov. Tony Evers' state house and senate redistricting maps and remanded the case for further proceedings.
• March 3, 2022: The Wisconsin Supreme Court voted 4-3 to adopt Gov. Evers' map proposals, enacting them into law.
• December 15, 2021: Evers submitted proposals for congressional and state legislative maps to the Wisconsin Supreme Court on December 15.
• November 30, 2021: The supreme court announced it would seek to make as few changes as possible to the current legislative and congressional maps adopted in 2011.
• November 18, 2021: Gov. Evers vetoed the legislative and congressional map earlier approved by the legislature.
• November 11, 2021: The House voted to approve state legislative and congressional maps in a 60-38 party-line vote.
• November 8, 2021: The Senate voted to approve state legislative and congressional redistricting plans in a 21-12 vote split along party lines.
• November 3, 2021: The People's Maps Commission released its final proposed state legislative and congressional maps.
• October 20, 2021: Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu (R) and Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R) introduced state legislative and congressional map proposals.
• October 6, 2021: The three-judge panel overseeing the federal court lawsuit agreed to pause proceedings until at least November 5, but said that the court would continue to prepare for a trial in January 2022 if maps are not enacted.
• October 1, 2021: The People's Maps Commission, a redistricting commission established by Gov. Tony Evers, released map proposals for Wisconsin's state legislative and congressional districts.
• September 28, 2021: The Wisconsin Senate approved the resolution calling for new district maps to adhere as closely as possible to existing districts in a 19-12 vote along party lines, and the General Assembly approved it in a 60-38 vote.
• September 23, 2021: A Wisconsin General Assembly committee voted to bring a resolution before the full Assembly for a vote on September 28, 2021.
• September 22, 2021: The supreme court decided 4-3 to hear the redistricting case filed by the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty.
• September 16, 2021: The presiding judges in the initial August 13 lawsuit denied a motion to dismiss the case.
• September 16, 2021: The U.S. Census Bureau released data from the 2020 census in an easier-to-use format to state redistricting authorities and the public.
• September 13, 2021: Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers (D) and Attorney General Josh Kaul (D) asked the United States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin to allow Evers to intervene in the initial August 13 lawsuit, saying that the governor has the right to intervene based on state law.
• September 1, 2021: The three-judge panel presiding over the initial lawsuit granted legislative Republican's motion to intervene in the suit.
• August 23, 2021: The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, also known as WILL, filed a lawsuit with the Wisconsin Supreme Court asking the court to establish a timeline for the legislature and Gov. Tony Evers (D) to agree on new maps and to draw the maps themselves should they be unable to. On the same day, another lawsuit filed with the United States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin by voting rights groups asked the federal court to do the same.
• August 13, 2021: Attorney Marc Elias filed a lawsuit with the United States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin on behalf of six Democrats against the Wisconsin Elections Commission on August 13, 2021 saying that the current district maps are unconstitutionally malapportioned.
• August 12, 2021: The U.S. Census Bureau delivered redistricting data to states in a legacy format.
• April 26, 2021: The U.S. Census Bureau delivered apportionment counts.

Footnotes[edit]

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