Wisconsin Overseas Voting Guide
If Wisconsin is your last U.S. residence, this is where your ballot comes from — no matter what country you live in now, and however long you have been away. The deadlines below are for the November 3, 2026 federal general election.
Wisconsin deadlines at a glance
Wisconsin deadlines at a glance
Election Day
Nov 3, 2026
Register to vote
Passed2 voter types ↓Deadlines as early as
Oct 14, 2026
Postmarked by Oct 14, 2026.
Varies by voter type — see below
Request your ballot
Passed2 voter types ↓Deadlines as early as
Oct 29, 2026
at 5 PM Wisconsin time
Received by Oct 29, 2026 at 5 PM Wisconsin time.
Varies by voter type — see below
Return your voted ballot
PassedDeadline
Nov 3, 2026
at 8 PM Wisconsin time
Received by Nov 3, 2026 at 8 PM Wisconsin time.
These dates and process details come from the Federal Voting Assistance Program's 2026–27 Voting Assistance Guide, the U.S. Department of Defense's official source for Wisconsin. Deadlines can change after it is published, so confirm anything you are close to with your local election official.
Registering and requesting your ballot
Request your Wisconsin ballot
One federal form registers you and requests your absentee ballot. Overseas voters file it again every election year, even if you voted last time.
Wisconsin asks new registrants for a state-issued ID or driver's license number or the last four digits of your Social Security number.
Ballot request deadline: October 29, 2026 at 5 PM Wisconsin time. Uniformed service members and their families can still request a ballot until November 3 at 5 PM Wisconsin time.
Use the backup ballotRegister to voteearliest Oct 14, 20262 voter types
Wisconsin sets this deadline differently depending on the kind of overseas voter you are.
Uniformed service members and their families
All other overseas voters
Postmarked by Oct 14, 2026
Request your ballotearliest Oct 29, 2026 at 5 PM Wisconsin time2 voter types
Wisconsin sets this deadline differently depending on the kind of overseas voter you are.
Uniformed service members and their families
Received by Nov 3, 2026 at 5 PM Wisconsin time
All other overseas voters
Received by Oct 29, 2026 at 5 PM Wisconsin time
Receiving your ballot
Once Wisconsin accepts your form, it sends you your ballot. Federal law required states to send ballots to overseas voters by September 19, 2026 for requests already on file. A request made now is sent once it is processed.
What your Wisconsin ballot email looks like
- From
- Your municipal clerk — your city, village or town, not the county.
- Subject
- It varies. The Elections Commission does not set one.
- Inside
- Your ballot and its certificate, to print and return by post or courier. Wisconsin does not accept voted ballots back by email or fax.
- MyVote paused ballot delivery in May 2026, so your clerk emails the ballot directly.
Not in your inbox? Search your whole mailbox, spam and junk included, for your city, village or town's name and clerk. What to do if it still has not arrived
From the Wisconsin Elections Commission and Wisconsin's published election rules, September 2026.
Still waiting for your ballot?
Let us know. We track delivery issues and raise them with election officials.
Returning your Wisconsin ballot
Wisconsin accepts a voted ballot by post only. International mail can take two to three weeks each way, so post it as early as you can rather than close to the deadline.
Return your ballot according to the instructions that came with it — the envelopes, the signature and any witness or ID requirement are set by your state. If anything is missing or you are not sure what they want, your local election official is the person to ask.
Wisconsin's overseas instructions (opens in a new tab) walk through every step (form EL-128u if your ballot came by email or fax, EL-128up if it came by post). Mark your ballot in front of an adult witness, who then signs the certificate and writes their address — a certificate missing the witness's address cannot be counted. For overseas and military voters, the witness does not need to be a U.S. citizen.
From the Wisconsin Elections Commission and Wisconsin's published election rules, September 2026.
2 ways to return it — choose one
Post
Post your voted ballot in the return envelope from your packet. International postage from your country applies, and delivery takes two to three weeks from most places.
Received by Nov 3, 2026 at 8 PM Wisconsin time
By courier — DHL, FedEx or UPS
Faster, costs moreA courier takes a few days instead of a few weeks and gives you tracking. It costs more than international postage, and how much depends on the country you are sending from.
Same deadlines as returning by post:
Received by Nov 3, 2026 at 8 PM Wisconsin time
After you send it
- Check it arrived
Search by your name and date of birth.
From the Wisconsin Elections Commission and Wisconsin's published election rules, September 2026.
Additional resources
The official places to check your ballot, reach the office that handles it, and read the rules in full.
Wisconsin overseas voting questions
What is the Wisconsin ballot deadline for overseas voters?
Received by November 3, 2026 at 8 PM Wisconsin time.
What if my Wisconsin ballot has not arrived?
If your ballot has not arrived and your deadline is close, the Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot is the federal backup ballot. You can fill it in for federal offices and send it now; if your real ballot turns up later, complete and return that too — only one of them is counted. Whether it can also register you in Wisconsin is not stated in the federal guide — ask your local election official if you are not yet registered.
How will my Wisconsin ballot arrive?
Your municipal clerk (your city, village or town, not the county) emails your ballot directly, and the subject line varies. You print it and return it by post or courier: Wisconsin does not accept voted ballots back by email or fax.
Can I email or fax my ballot back in Wisconsin?
No. Wisconsin accepts a voted ballot by post only.
When is the Wisconsin registration deadline for overseas voters?
As early as October 14, 2026.
How do I check that my Wisconsin ballot was counted?
Wisconsin offers an online ballot-status lookup where you can check that your ballot was sent and that your voted ballot came back. The link is under Additional resources on this page.
Who is my local election official in Wisconsin?
Your local election official is the county or municipal office that handles registration and ballots for your last U.S. address in Wisconsin. You can look up their contact details on our election-office finder.
More questions?
Our team answers questions from overseas voters every day. Ask us anything this page did not cover.
Ready to request your Wisconsin ballot?
One form registers you and requests your ballot.