Fiscal Note
The proposed resolution establishes potential in-person absentee voting locations for the 2020 Partisan Primary and General Election. The Clerk’s Office 2020 Adopted Operating Budget included $130,000 in funding for hourly election aides for the August and November Elections. No additional appropriation is required.
Title
Establishing potential absentee voting locations for the 2020 Partisan Primary and General Election.
Body
WHEREAS, voting is both a right and the vital core of a healthy democracy; and
WHEREAS, the COVID-19 pandemic has generated an increased interest in absentee voting, with 79.26% of ballots cast in the City of Madison Spring Election being absentee ballots; and
WHEREAS, voting by mail is not necessarily the best option for every voter; and
WHEREAS, the City is committed to facilitiating the right to vote while minimizing the risk of exposure to COVID-19; and
WHEREAS, the goal of the Madison City Clerk's Office is that each eligible voter will be able to cast a ballot and have that ballot counted; and
WHEREAS, it is inequitable to limit in-person absentee voting to Madison residents who are able to obtain transportation downtown; and
WHEREAS, offering in-person absentee voting at multiple sites throughout the City may further racial equity for residents who have not historically been involved in the voting process;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the City of Madison chooses to make in-person absentee voting more accessible and equitable by establishing multiple locations for in-person absentee voting, dependent on public safety considerations and the guidance of Public Health Madison & Dane County.
If facilities are open to the public and Public Health Madison & Dane County approves the safety precautions in place, the following in-person absentee voting locations may be used for the 2020 Partisan Primary and General Election:
1. City Clerk's Office, 210 Martin Luther King, Jr., Boulevard #103
2. Central Library, 201 W. Mifflin Street
3. Alicia Ashman Library, 733 N. High Point Road
4. Goodman South Madison Library, 2222 S. Park Street
5. Hawthorne Library, 2707 E. Washington Avenue
6. Lakeview Library, 2845 N. Sherman Avenue
7. Meadowridge Library, 5726 Raymond Road
8. Monroe Street Library, 1705 Monroe Street
9. Pinney Library, 516 Cottage Grove Road
10. Sequoya Library, 4340 Tokay Boulevard
11. UW-Madison Union South, 1308 W. Dayton Street
12. UW-Madison Memorial Union, 800 Langdon Street
13. UW-Madison Student Activity Center, 333 E. Campus Mall
14. UW-Madison Health Services Learning Center, 750 Highland Avenue
15. Edgewood College - Wingra Commons in Predolin Hall
16. Madison College Truax Campus, 1701 Wright Street
17. Madison College South Campus, 2429 Perry Street
18. Streets East, 4602 Sycamore Avenue
If Public Health Madison & Dane County advises that curbside voting would be a safer option for voters, given the county's COVID-19 data and metrics, the Clerk's Office will work with other city agencies, community centers, the University of Wisconsin - Madison, Edgewood College, and places of worship to establish curbside voting locations throughout the City of Madison.