Wisconsin state executive official elections, 2021
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| Wisconsin state executive official elections |
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| Election details |
| Filing deadline: January 5, 2021 |
| Primary: February 16, 2021 General: April 6, 2021 |
| How to vote |
| Poll times: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voting in Wisconsin |
| Ballotpedia analysis |
| Federal and state primary competitiveness State executive elections in 2021 Impact of term limits in 2021 State government trifectas and triplexes |
| Other state executive elections |
One state executive office was up for election in Wisconsin in 2021:
Superintendent of public instruction
Candidates and election results
Superintendent of Public Instruction
General election
General election for Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction
Jill Underly defeated Deborah Kerr in the general election for Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction on April 6, 2021.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Jill Underly (Nonpartisan) | 57.6 | 526,406 |
 | Deborah Kerr (Nonpartisan) | 42.3 | 386,543 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.2 | 1,420 | ||
| Total votes: 914,369 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction
The following candidates ran in the primary for Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction on February 16, 2021.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Jill Underly (Nonpartisan) | 27.2 | 88,796 |
| ✔ | | Deborah Kerr (Nonpartisan) | 26.4 | 86,174 |
 | Sheila Briggs (Nonpartisan) | 15.6 | 50,815 | |
 | Shandowlyon Hendricks Reaves (Nonpartisan) | 11.3 | 36,850 | |
 | Troy Gunderson (Nonpartisan) | 8.4 | 27,452 | |
 | Steve Krull (Nonpartisan) | 6.3 | 20,543 | |
| Joe Fenrick (Nonpartisan) | 4.4 | 14,507 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.3 | 937 | ||
| Total votes: 326,074 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Context of the 2021 elections
Party control in Wisconsin
Wisconsin Party Control: 1992-2025
Two years of Democratic trifectas • Ten years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| Senate | D | R | R | R | D | D | R | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| House | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
Voter information
How the primary works
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]
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
Poll times
In Wisconsin, polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Central Time. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.[3]
Registration requirements
- Check your voter registration status here.
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 by Election Day.[4]
Prospective voters can register online or by mailing a form to their municipal clerk. 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. Prospective voters can also register in person at their municipal clerk's office up until the Friday before the election or at their polling place on Election Day. (Same-day voter registration requires proof of residency.)[4]
Automatic registration
Wisconsin does not practice automatic voter registration.[5]
Online registration
- See also: Online voter registration
Wisconsin has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.[5]
Same-day registration
Wisconsin allows same-day voter registration.[5]
Residency requirements
Wisconsin law requires 28 days of residency in a precinct before a person may vote.[4]
Verification of citizenship
Wisconsin does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration. An individual must attest that they are a U.S. citizen when registering to vote. According to the state's voter registration application, a voter who provides false information "may be subject to fine or imprisonment under State and Federal laws."[6]
All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment.[7] Seven states — Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, New Hampshire, and Wyoming — have laws requiring verification of citizenship at the time of voter registration, whether in effect or not. One state, Ohio, requires proof of citizenship only when registering to vote at a Bureau of Motor Vehicles facility. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allows noncitizens to vote in some local elections. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters.
Verifying your registration
The site My Vote, run by the Wisconsin Election Commission, allows residents to check their voter registration status online.
Voter ID requirements
Wisconsin requires voters to present photo identification while voting.[8]
The following list of accepted ID was current as of October 2025. Click here for the Wisconsin Election Commission's page on accepted ID to ensure you have the most current information.
- Wisconsin Department of Transportation-issued driver license, even if driving privileges are revoked or suspended
- Wisconsin Department of Transportation-issued identification card, with or without a photo
- Veteran ID card or U.S. Uniformed Service ID card
- U.S. passport book or card
- Identification card issued by a federally recognized Indian tribe in Wisconsin
- Photo identification card issued by a Wisconsin accredited university, college, or technical college, containing the date the card was issued, an expiration date, and a signature. (If expired, the voter must also provide a separate document proving enrollment)
- Certificate of naturalization issued within the past two years
- Driver’s license receipt issued by Wisconsin Department of Transportation (valid for 45 days from date issued)
- Identification card receipt issued by Wisconsin Department of Transportation (valid for 45 days from date issued)
- Wisconsin Department of Motor Vehicles ID Petition Process Photo Receipt (valid for 60 days from date issued)
The following voters do not need to provide photo ID:[8]
- Confidential electors
- Active military and permanent overseas voters who vote by absentee ballot
- Indefinitely confined voters who vote by absentee ballot
Voters can obtain a free Wisconsin State ID Card at a Wisconsin Division of Motor Vehicles office. Voters need the following to apply for an ID:[9]
- Proof of name and date of birth (such as a birth certificate)
- Proof of identity (Social Security Card, Medicaid/Medicare Card, etc.)
- Proof of Wisconsin residency (utility bill, government mail, lease, etc.)
- Proof of U.S. citizenship (U.S. Birth certificate or citizenship paperwork)
- Social Security Number
Voters who do not have all or any of the materials listed above can still obtain an ID. Call the voter ID hotline for assistance at (844) 588-1069.[9]
Early voting
Wisconsin permits early voting. Learn more by visiting this website.
Early voting permits citizens to cast ballots in person at a polling place prior to an election. In states that permit no-excuse early voting, a voter does not have to provide an excuse for being unable to vote on Election Day. States that allow voters to cast no-excuse absentee/mail-in ballots in person are counted as no-excuse early voting states.
Forty-seven states and the District of Columbia permit no-excuse early voting.
Absentee voting
All voters are eligible to vote absentee/by mail in Wisconsin. There are no special eligibility requirements for voting absentee/by mail.[10][11]
To vote absentee by mail, a request to the municipal clerk must be received by 5 p.m. on the Thursday before Election Day. Once completed, returned ballots must be received no later than 8 p.m. on Election Day.[10][12]
Past elections
2018
- Wisconsin gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2018
- Wisconsin Attorney General election, 2018
- Wisconsin Secretary of State election, 2018
- Wisconsin Treasurer election, 2018
2017
See also
| Wisconsin | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "State Primary Election Types," accessed October 4, 2024
- ↑ Wisconsin State Legislature, "Wis. State § 5.62 Partisan primary ballots," accessed October 4, 2024
- ↑ Wisconsin Election Commission, “Election Day Voting,” accessed May 4, 2023
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Wisconsin Elections Commission, "Voter Registration and Proof of Residence," accessed May 4, 2023
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 NCSL, "State Profiles: Elections," accessed August 20, 2024
- ↑ Wisconsin Elections Commission, "Wisconsin Voter Registration Application," accessed November 2, 2024
- ↑ Under federal law, the national mail voter registration application (a version of which is in use in all states with voter registration systems) requires applicants to indicate that they are U.S. citizens in order to complete an application to vote in state or federal elections, but does not require voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the application "may require only the minimum amount of information necessary to prevent duplicate voter registrations and permit State officials both to determine the eligibility of the applicant to vote and to administer the voting process."
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Wisconsin Elections Commission, "Acceptable Photo IDs," accessed October 9, 2025 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "wvid" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ 9.0 9.1 Wisconsin Department of Transportation, "Wisconsin ID card for voting purposes - petition process," accessed October 9, 2025
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Wisconsin Election Commission, "What is in-person absentee voting and how can I do it?" accessed May 4, 2023
- ↑ Wisconsin Elections Commission, "Vote Absentee Guide," accessed May 4, 2023
- ↑ Wisconsin Election Commission, "FAQ search results: absentee," accessed May 4, 2023
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