Absentee voting encouraged in Nov. 3 election; helpful reminders for Illinois voters

Marquette encourages all eligible students, faculty and staff to register to vote in the upcoming election on Tuesday, Nov. 3.

Due to COVID-19, both the Wisconsin Election Commission and Illinois Election Commission encourage absentee voting for the 2020 Presidential General Election. You must already be a registered voter to request an absentee ballot.

If you plan to vote in Wisconsin, make sure you are aware of the various deadlines for registering/voting.

For those who plan to vote in Illinois, Marquette has provided an informational flow chart to assist you through the process.

Important dates:

  • Oct. 6: Last day to register by mail in Illinois
  • Oct. 18: Last day to register online to vote in Illinois
  • Oct. 20: The U.S. Postal Service recommends that all absentee voting requests are completed by this day to ensure your vote is counted. Voting absentee can take up to two weeks to process. This includes processing your request, the time it takes your ballot to arrive and the time it takes your ballot to travel to your election clerk.
  • Oct. 29: Last day to request a ballot by mail in Illinois
  • Nov. 3: Election Day. In Illinois, you can also register to vote in person at your polling location on Election Day. Visit the Illinois Election Commission website and select “Voting on Election Day” for more info.

Visit the Marquette Voter Information site for more information.


STUDENTS: If you received an unsolicited voter registration, absentee ballot request or document that is not from the Wisconsin Elections Commission or the Milwaukee Elections Commission, DO NOT use these forms as they may contain errors.

All eligible student voters should visit marquette.edu/vote or the Marquette TurboVote website to register to vote in Wisconsin or your home state. Once registered, you will be able to request an absentee ballot. The Marquette TurboVote site directs students to the government’s My Vote Wisconsin website to accurately process voter registration and absentee ballot requests.


University partners with ‘TurboVote’ to make voter registration easier