Click on one of the buttons below to see more information about Elections and Voting in the Town of Florence:
2023 Election Dates*
February 21, 2023 - Spring Primary Election
April 4, 2023 - Spring Election
The Community Center at 749 Central Ave is the polling place for the Town of Florence. Polling place hours are 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on the day of the election.
*2024 Election Dates will be posted in the fall of 2023
The next scheduled election will be held on Tuesday, April 4, 2023.
April 4, 2023 Spring Election Important Dates
March 14, 2023 - absentee ballots required to be mailed to voters with a request on file for the Spring Election; after this date ballots will be mailed within 24 hours of receiving a written request
March 15, 2023 - last day to register to vote by mail or online for the April 4, 2023 Spring Election (you can still register in the clerk's office until March 31, 2023 and you can register to vote on Election Day at the polling place)
March 21, 2023 - first day for in-person absentee voting for the April 4, 2023 Spring Election; to vote in-person please call 715-528-3595 and setup a day/time to vote
March 27, 2023 - public test of electronic voting equipment to be used in the April 4, 2023 Spring Election
March 30, 2023 - last day (in most cases) to request an absentee ballot be mailed to you for the April 4, 2023 Spring Election
March 31, 2023 - last day to vote in-person absentee for the March 4, 2023 Spring Election & last day to register to vote (prior to election day) in the Clerk's Office
April 4, 2023 - Spring Election Day
*Election deadlines will be updated for the next scheduled election when they are available. They are typical updated as follows - in January for February Primary, in February for the April Spring Election, in June for the August Partisan Primary and in September for the November General Election. Please note that a February Spring Primary may not be needed each year, and there are usually only August and November elections held during even years -- 2020, 2022, etc.
Did you know that you can check to see if your absentee ballot was recorded as returned? Did you know that you can also check your election participation -- whether or not you voted in an election?
In Wisconsin, you can do both of those things and more.
What can you do on the MyVote website?
You can check your voter registration status (to see if you are registered)
You can register to vote (or reregister to vote if you moved or changed your name)
You can request an absentee ballot
You can track your absentee ballot as well -- meaning you can see when your request was submitted, when your ballot was mailed to you, and when it is received back in our office
You can also see your past election participation (the elections you have voted in), see your elected officials, find your polling place information, see a sample ballot and more.
All you need to be able to access the MyVote website is your name and your date of birth.
You can use the MyVote website (https://myvote.wi.gov/en-us/) to check your voter registration status, update your voter registration online, and/or request an absentee ballot.
Note: to update your voter registration completely online, your address with the WI DMV must match the address you are registering at. You can update your address on file with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation online by visiting their website: WI DOT/DMV Online Address Update
If your address is different from what is on file with the DMV, you will be required to print your application and mail it or bring in to the Town Office with proof of residence.
New Voter Registration
You may register to vote at the town office located at 749 Central Avenue, (Community Center Building) or on election day. Proof of residence and identification are required. We must have the following information: WI Driver’s License #, your name as it appears on your driver’s license, DOB, Address, Phone # and Previous Address. It is possible to mail in a voter registration, but when at all possible it is easier and more accurate to register in person. If your voter registration is mailed to the office you must provide a copy of your driver’s license. Click the link below for a printable online voter registration application. Voter registration applications are also available by contacting the Town Office.
How to Request an Absentee Ballot to Vote by Mail*
The easiest way to request an absentee ballot is to go online to www.myvote.wi.gov.
Voters can also request a ballot by sending something in writing either by email, fax or mail to their municipal clerk. Town of Florence Voters can contact the Town of Florence Office by sending a request to:
In order to receive a ballot, the voter needs to have a request on file that states:
Voter’s name & registered voting address
Where the Voter wants the ballot mailed to, if it’s a PO Box that needs to be indicated (absentee ballots do not forward in the mail)
What elections the voter wants to receive the ballot for—i.e. this election, all elections in 2022, etc.
Photo ID: If the voter has voted by mail as an absentee in the past, the ID may already be on file. Otherwise a copy of the photo ID must be included with the absentee request.
*The United States Postal Service recommends mailing your ballot at least one week before Election Day. It can take a week to mail something from Florence back to Florence.
Absentee By-Mail Deadlines:
March 30, 2023 at 5 p.m. - To request an absentee ballot by-mail for regular and overseas voters.
March 31, 2023 at 5 p.m. - To request an absentee ballot by-mail for indefinitely confined voters, calendar year voters and military voters (not on active duty).
Please Note: if you wait until the deadline to request an absentee ballot by mail, there may not be enough time for you to receive it, vote it, and return it to us by 8:00 p.m. on Election Day*
*Election deadlines will be updated for the next scheduled election when they are available. They are typical updated as follows - in January for February Primary, in February for the April Spring Election, in June for the August Partisan Primary and in September for the November General Election. Please note that a February Spring Primary may not be needed each year, and there are usually only August and November elections held during even years -- 2020, 2022, 2024, etc.
How to Vote an In-person Absentee Ballot*
In Wisconsin, early voting is absentee voting in the Clerk's Office. Any registered voter can request to vote an In-Person Absentee Ballot.
Although it is not required, voters can call to make an appointment to vote an in-person absentee ballot and everything will be set and ready to go for you when you get here.
In-Person Absentee Dates:
March 21 2023 - First day to vote absentee in your Clerk's Office
March 31, 2023 - Last day to vote absentee in the Clerk's Office at 5 p.m.
In-Person Absentee Voting & Appointments can be made during the following dates and times:
Tuesday, March 21 through Friday, March 24 between 8:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. each day
Monday, March 27 through Wednesday, March 29 between 8:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. each day
Thursday, March 30 and Friday, March 31 between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. each day.
You will need to bring an acceptable photo ID to show in order to receive a ballot.
*Election deadlines will be updated for the next scheduled election when they are available. They are typical updated as follows - in January for February Primary, in February for the April Spring Election, in June for the August Partisan Primary and in September for the November General Election. Please note that a February Spring Primary may not be needed each year, and there are usually only August and November elections held during even years -- 2020, 2022, etc.
1. Absentee ballots are issued and mailed once the Town of Florence Office receives a request in writing and a photo ID is on file. Each absentee ballot mailing includes: instructions, one of each type of ballot (each ballot is initialed by the clerk), and a stamped and addressed certificate envelope for the voter to securely return their ballot in. The ballots are folded so that when they are returned, the election inspectors can see that the clerk initialed the ballot, but cannot see how the voter marked his/her ballot.
2. The voter receives and votes the ballot and encloses it in the certificate envelope provided with the ballot. This envelope must be signed and dated by the voter. A witness must also sign and write their address the envelope—by signing the witness states that they saw the voter sign the envelope and mark their ballot (not what they marked, but witnessing the voter was marking his/her own ballot).
3. The ballot gets returned to the Town of Florence. You can drop the ballot in the mail (there is postage on the envelope). If you use the mail, please note that it can take approximately 5-7 days for it to be returned to us. Voters can also drop off their absentee ballots at the Town of Florence Office during office hours.
4. Once received by the Town of Florence Office, the ballot is recorded as returned and the sealed envelope is placed in a secured absentee ballot box. If you vote in-person by absentee, the ballot is placed in a signed certificate envelope and locked up in the box with the rest of the absentee ballots.
5. That box is delivered by the Clerk to the polls on Election Day.
6. Two election inspectors verify the certificate envelope: that it is still sealed and hasn’t been tampered with, that the voter signed and dated the envelope and that a witness signed and put their address on the envelope. Then a voter number is issued to that voter, and the absentee ballot envelope is opened.
7. When the envelope is opened, the inspectors make sure there is only one ballot of each type (official, town, school, etc) enclosed, and that the clerk has initialed the ballot. Once those two items are verified, the ballot is then placed directly in the ballot box. The inspectors do not see how a voter marked their ballot due to how the ballot is folded in the envelope.
8. The ballot boxes are opened after 8:00 p.m. on Election Day. The election workers verify there are the same number of ballots as there are voters. Then the ballots are counted by four people.
9. After the ballots are all tallied, they get sealed in a ballot bag. Then the results are called into the County Clerk’s Office.
Sample Ballots for the April 4, 2023 Spring Election*
There is one ballot for the April 4, 2023 Spring Election in the Town of Florence. Click below to see a sample of the ballot and the Type A & Type C Notices of Referendum (the Type C Notice includes the explanation of the Referendum Questions):
Note: Sample ballots are printed on blue paper with the word "sample" printed over the text on the ballot. The actual ballot will be a different color. Also note that an official ballot will have a initials in the endorsement section, which makes it an official ballot.
You can also see what will be on your ballot by going to the MyVote website and clicking "What's on My Ballot." You will have to enter your address in order to see what is on your ballot. Note: this feature is only available for the current/upcoming election.
If you try to view the ballots too early, you may see the following message:
Ballots are not yet ready for this election. Ballots are typically available 47 days
before an election with federal contests and 21 days before state and local contests.
The Town of Florence does not post election results online. You can find the unofficial election results posted on the Florence County Website at www.florencecountywi.com. They are typically posted on the right hand side of the page under the "Florence County Quicklinks" bar."
Notice is hereby given that a public test of the electronic voting equipment to be used in the Spring Election on April 4, 2023 will be held on March 27, 2023 at 9:00 a.m. at the Town Office, which is located at 749 Central Avenue – Florence, WI.
*An electronic public test of the voting equipment to be used on Election Day is always held on the second Monday preceding the election.
* Please note: all items marked with an * above will be updated for each election. Prior election dates and information may appear here until the updated dates and information are available to be posted. An anticipated date for the updated information will be posted under each * indicated item.
*Election deadlines will be updated for the next scheduled election when they are available. They are typical updated as follows - in January for February Primary, in February for the April Spring Election, in June for the August Partisan Primary and in September for the November General Election. Please note that a February Spring Primary may not be needed each year, and there are usually only August and November elections held during even years -- 2020, 2022, etc.
Other Election Notices Posted as Needed
Occasionally there are other election notices that will need to be posted that do not fit into one of the categories listed above. Those notices would then be posted here.
Information on Election Equipment, Concerns & Mitigated Responses
Beginning with the April 4, 2022 Spring Election, the Town of Florence (and all Florence County Polling Places) will be using brand new voting equipment. All voting will be done on paper ballots that the voter will then insert into the voting equipment, which is called a tabulator. Before the Election, the Town of Florence wants to share some information regarding the new equipment.
Voting Equipment Used in the Town of Florence:
The Town of Florence uses a Dominion Ice (Image Cast Evolution) Tabulator.
The Town of Florence votes on Paper Ballots.
The ICE is an optical scanner tabulator which means that it scans and counts the votes that are marked on a paper ballot.
Machine totals can be verified by counting the ballots by hand after the polls close on Election Night or the following day
Although the ICE does have a ballot marking device feature, it has to be specially activated and is only activated for handicap accessible voters.
Public Participation
The Town of Florence held an Open House on Monday, March 7 for all Florence County residents to learn about the tabulator, ask questions, and learn how to mark a ballot.
In addition to the Open House, the Town of Florence held a Mock-Practice Election for the Public to participate in on Thursday, March 10. Those electors participating in the event marked ballots and fed them into the machine. After the polls were closed for the practice election, the ballots were removed and hand tallied to verify that the tabulator results were the same results as when the ballots were hand tallied. They matched exactly.
Both of these opportunities were held to allow voters to familiarize themselves with the new voting equipment prior to election day. The Town of Florence understands that electors may still have some concerns with the tabulator, so the Town has developed plans and practices that will mitigate these concerns.
Here is how the Town of Florence is Mitigating Concerns Regarding the Machine:
Concern: The machine can mark ballots when it is not in Accessible Voting Mode.
Mitigated Response: The Accessible Voting option can only print on a ballot if there is an ink cartridge installed in that printer. No ink cartridge will be installed during the election except when it is necessary for a voter using the accessibility voting mode. It cannot print on ballots if there isn’t an ink cartridge installed. When the accessible voting printer prints, it is done in black ink. It only has a black ink cartridge, which will not be installed. Blue pens will be available for voters at the polls to mark their ballots.
Concern: A voter could put more than one ballot through the machine.
Mitigated Response: The machine itself will not allow two ballots to be submitted at one time. The machine will always be attended by one or more election workers, so a voter will be given access to submit their ballot. Then they will be done voting and leave the polling place.
Concern: The machine can be connected to the internet, phone or wireless network.
Mitigated Response: The Town of Florence machine does not have a modem. There is not an antenna internally or externally on the machine. There is a door on the machine labeled the “ports door” where the modem would be hooked up and where there is a usb port. No one should access the machine via the USB, and there is no need to access the port where the modem could be plugged in as there is no modem. A seal will be placed on the “ports door,” and the seal will always remain on that door. It will be documented on the inspector’s statement from the election with the other seals that are recorded for the official record.
Concern: A ballot could be counted/run through the machine more than once.
Mitigated Response: Ballots are inserted into the tabulator to be read. The Ballot Review enabled mode displays how the machine is reading the ballot. The ballot itself is not counted until the voter presses the “cast” button. Once the ballot is cast, it is deposited into the ballot bin. The ballot bin has a security seal and that seal is not broken until the end of Election Day after the polls close. Each ballot can only be run through one time.
Concern: The machine can add votes to the report that are not there.
Mitigated Response: The number of ballots and voters are checked multiple times during the election process:
Numbers are checked throughout election day to confirm that the number of voters on the poll book is equal to the number of ballots that are handed out and that both of those are equal to the number of ballots in the machine.
Numbers are double checked when the polls close on Election Day. The number of voters on the poll book has to be the same as the number of ballots handed out and the number of ballots on the machine. The actual physical ballots are also counted to verify that the number of ballots is the same (or less than) the number of voters.
Numbers are triple checked when the voter participation is entered into the Statewide Election System. The number of voter participations recorded must equal the number of voters at the polls on election day.
Numbers are quadruple checked when the County holds their canvas after the election.
If someone still has concerns, the entire election process is done in public, so it can be observed by anyone:
Test of Voting Equipment. There is a public test of the voting equipment held before each election the second Monday before the election. It is posted in three places and on the Town of Florence website. The public test is open for anyone from the public to attend.
At the Polls. Anyone (other than a candidate on the ballot) can be an observer while the polls are open on Election Day. An observer would be able to see how absentee ballots are processed, how ballots are handled/fed into the machine, see the voter registration process, see and hear voters announcing their name and address, etc.
Tallying Votes. Anyone can be an observer at the end of the night when votes are being tallied. An observer would be able to see/hear how the votes are being tallied and see the process for getting the information off the machine, which includes printing reports, tallying write-in votes and calling in the results to the County.
Hand-Counting Ballots
An audit of electronic voting machines is randomly conducted after each general election. The Town of Florence was selected after the November 2020 Election. During the audit, which was held in public, the election inspectors counted by hand all votes cast on the machine. The tally of those votes counted by hand matched the tally printed by the machine. The purpose of the audit is to ensure that voting equipment in Wisconsin is accurately counting ballots according to federal standards, which is 1 error in 500,000 ballots.
The Town of Florence committed to hand-counting all paper ballots for highly contested races for the 2022 Election cycle to verify that the results from the voting equipment match the hand counted totals of all the paper ballots. The date and time for the hand-count audit of the equipment was posted at the polling place on Election Day, on the Town Office Door and on the Town’s website www.townofflorencewisconsin.com. For each voluntary hand-count audit, the hand-count numbers matched the numbers reported by the tabulator on the machine.
The Town of Florence is responsible for the integrity of the Elections held here in Florence, and the Town has a plan to make sure each election is accurate and secure. If you have any questions, please contact the Town of Florence office at 715-528-3595 or email svanpembrook@florencewi.gov or jklumpp@florencewi.gov
Voluntary Audit of Election Equipment Results - 11-08-22
TOWN OF FLORENCE
Public Notice
Office of the Clerk
Audit of Election Equipment used in the
November 8, 2022 General Election
For November General Elections the Wisconsin Elections Commission randomly chooses at least one municipality in each county to do a Post-Election Voting Equipment Audit, which is a hand count of all of the ballots cast in the Election. Reporting units and contests for audit will be randomly selected on November 9, 2022.
If the Town of Florence is not chosen by the WEC to do an official Post-Election Voting Equipment Audit, the Town of Florence will hold their
Voluntary Voting Equipment Audit
Thursday, November 10 at 1:00 p.m.
Florence Community Center
If the Town of Florence is chosen for the WEC to do an official Post-Election Voting Equipment Audit, the date and time of the Official audit will be posted on November 10 by 1:00 p.m.
The Town of Florence utilizes the Dominion Image Cast Evolution (ICE) voting system.
TOWN OF FLORENCE
Shelly VanPembrook
Clerk/Treasurer
Town of Florence
Public Notice Office of the Clerk
Local Election Equipment Audit Matches Hand Tally
After the November 8, 2022 General Election, the Town of Florence Election Inspectors performed a hand tallying/counting of the November 8, 2022 ballots on November 10, 2022. The date and time of this local audit was noticed online, at the Town Office and at the Polls on Election Day. This local audit was to determine whether or not the machine results were correctly tabulated.
Notice is hereby given that there were three races that were hand tallied: Governor, US Senate and US Congress. The results matched and are as follows:
Governor:
Evers/Rodrigues – Tabulator Total 335; Hand Tally Total 335
Michels/Roth – Tabulator Total 795; Hand Tally Total 795
Beglinger – Tabulator Total 13; Hand Tally Total 13
US Senator
Barnes – Tabulator Total 320; Hand Tally Total 320
Johnson – Tabulator Total 826; Hand Tally Total 826
US Congress
Ausman – Tabulator Total 307; Hand Tally Total 307
Tiffany – Tabulator Total 836; Hand Tally Total 836
Clarification on Third Party Election Mailings on Voting and Absentee Ballots
As the mid-term election season gets underway, there are two remaining elections in 2022 for Wisconsin: the Partisan Primary Election, which will be held on Tuesday, August 9, and the November General Election, which will be held on Tuesday, November 8. Wisconsin voters can vote at the polls on Election Day or vote an absentee ballot prior to Election Day. While most voters will choose to vote at the polls, there are some important notes regarding the absentee ballot process that all voters should know.
As these elections get closer, voters will see an increase in mail. Most mail will be political flyers, but there are sure to be absentee ballot applications as well. This is where a lot of confusion happens. In an effort to help voters, many organizations send absentee ballot requests out to voters. An absentee ballot application is a form that can be used to request an absentee ballot. An absentee ballot contains the actual ballot, instructions and certificate envelope to mail the ballot back to the clerk.
It is important to note that in Wisconsin voters are not automatically mailed a ballot. Ballots are only mailed to voters with an absentee request on file. There are many political organizations and political parties that send Absentee Ballot Applications to registered voters, and in some cases a lot of the voter information is already preprinted on the application for the voter. Sometimes these applications are on a full-size piece of paper and sometimes they are a postcard. They will look different depending on who is doing the mailing.
On April 25, 2022 the Center for Voter Information informed the Town Office that they mailed 32 registered voters in the Town absentee applications. The Town of Florence Office does not know how they chose the voters they sent applications or where the organization got contact information for the voters.
While these applications did not come from the Town of Florence Office, if the form is completed, signed and photo id is submitted with the application (or is already on file from a previous application) the form will be used as an absentee application for the voter. If a voter uses this form, they should read it over carefully. There are common issues that may arise from using these forms including voters not providing a photo idea, not signing the form, not providing a mailing address if it is different than the voting address, etc. One specific issue that comes up often is that absentee ballots do not forward. If a voter requests and absentee ballot and then has a temporary forward or hold on their mail, the ballot will be returned to the Clerk as undeliverable.
Voters need to be aware of what they are signing/requesting. In 2020, there was an organization that sent out absentee ballot application postcards. The postcards had fine print which included the wording “please mail me ballots from today’s date through the end of the current calendar year (ending 12/31).” Voters who used the postcards were then automatically sent ballots for the remainder of the 2020 elections. This was confusing to some voters who used the postcard since they didn’t realize they were signing up to receive ballots for the entire year.
Requesting an absentee ballot is easy in Wisconsin. While you can use the official absentee application form, that is not the only way to request an absentee ballot. Voters can go online to the myvote.wi.gov website to request an absentee ballot. Voters can also send something in writing (via the mail, fax or e-mail) to their local clerk stating their name, their voting address, where they want the absentee ballot mailed, indicating what elections they want covered, and signing the application. A copy/picture of the voter’s Photo ID is also required to be included with the application if there isn’t one on file from a previous absentee ballot request.
More information on absentee voting, including deadlines for requesting ballots, in the Town of Florence can be found at www.townofflorencewisconsin.com. If you have questions, you can contact the Town of Florence Office at 715-528-3595.
Please Note: The April 4, 2023 Spring Election has two contested races for the Town of Florence AND three referendum questions for the State of Wisconsin. You can see a sample ballot and the Type A Notice of Referendum and Type C Notice for the Explanation under the Sample Ballots link below.
