Wisconsin Get Out the Vote Plan

A good campaign can lose by a handful of votes because the people who liked the candidate never got to the polls. Getting your own voters to cast a ballot is the least glamorous part of the race, and it's the part that decides close ones.

Tony RuffiOct 14, 202611 min read

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This article covers who to focus on, how to build your list, the Wisconsin dates & deadlines that matter, and a plan for the last two weeks. By the end, you'll also know a few things the law says you can't do.

What is get out the vote, and why does it matter in a small Wisconsin race?

Get out the vote, or GOTV, means making sure the people who already plan to back you actually vote. It comes after persuasion and before the count. In a school board, village or city race, a few hundred votes can decide the seat, so every supporter who stays home costs you more than you'd think.

Think of the work in two halves. In the fall & winter, you find your people and learn what each one needs. In the last two weeks, you make it easy for them to vote. Our door knocking script article covers the first half at the door. This one covers the second half.

Which voters should you spend your time on?

Spend it on the people most likely to vote for you who might not vote at all. Skip the voters who are sure to show up with or without you, and skip the ones who will never back you. You get the most from the middle: a neighbor who said "I like you" but doesn't vote in April.

Sort the voters you meet into three piles:

Some people in the first pile may only vote in big fall elections. Those are the ones to chase, because a supporter who skips the April ballot doesn't help you.

Here's a rule we use with candidates: any free time you have goes to knocking doors, every spare minute you can find. A voter who has met you and heard you say the date is far more likely to remember it.

How do you build a voter list you can use?

Start with what you already have, then add the state's list. Your own notes from doors, your email list and the names on your nomination papers, the signed pages that put you on the ballot, are the best list there is, because those people already know you. Then ask for the voter file, which is the state's list of who is registered, so you can fill gaps.

For the state's file, the Wisconsin Elections Commission runs a site called Badger Voters. You make a request for data from the state's voter system. You get a quote that shows the cost and how many voters match. Then you pay by card or bank transfer and download the file. Ask what comes in the file when you get your quote.

The official list has more than names and addresses. By law it holds the ward the voter lives in and the dates of the elections they voted in. It also has columns for when an absentee ballot was mailed to them and when it came back (Wis. Stat. § 6.36). That's useful, because once a supporter's ballot is back, you can stop calling them. The same law blocks anyone but election staff from seeing things like birth dates. Read the terms on any file you buy, and ask the state what you're allowed to use it for.

A few habits keep a list clean:

1. Write down what the voter said, not what you hope. "Leaning yes, wants a yard sign" is a note you can use. "Nice lady" is not.
2. Keep one master list. Don't let volunteers keep their own copies. One place means no one gets three calls.
3. Mark every contact the same day. If you wait, you'll forget half of them.
4. Note the best way to reach each person. Some answer the door, some only text, some only open email. Our article on a campaign email list shows how to build that channel.

When can your voters vote in Wisconsin?

They can register and vote earlier than most people think, and the dates move by election. Count back from the election date for each one. Here's how the rules in state law work for the spring election, which is held on the first Tuesday in April, with the 2027 date shown as an example.

Those come from Wis. Stat. § 5.02, § 6.28, § 6.86, § 6.87 and § 6.78. We worked out the 2027 dates by counting from the statute, so check them with the clerk. Each clerk sets the hours for early voting, and they differ from town to town.

A voter who misses the registration deadline isn't out. Under § 6.55, a person can register at the polling place on election day. They need proof of residence, which is a paper that shows their name and home address. The form also has the voter promise they've lived at the address for at least 28 days. Voters also show an ID to vote (§ 6.79), so tell people to check with their clerk on what counts.

How do you help voters vote early or by mail?

You help by telling them it exists and where to go, then you step back. Say "you can vote early at the clerk's office starting two weeks before" and give the address. Don't handle anyone's ballot, and don't fill out or witness anything. The law is strict about absentee voting, and candidates have the tightest rule of all.

Here's the line to remember. State law says a candidate in the election may not serve as a witness on an absentee ballot. A candidate who does loses votes, one for each envelope they signed (Wis. Stat. § 6.87(7)). Another section of the law (§ 6.84) calls absentee voting a privilege that needs careful limits to prevent abuse, so keep your help hands-off.

What's safe to do:

• Tell people the dates and the clerk's address and hours
• Point voters to the state's MyVote site, or to their clerk, to ask for a ballot
• Remind them to sign and return it, and to leave time for the mail
• Hand out your own card, with your name, the office and the date

What we skip: collecting ballots, filling in forms for a voter, telling anyone how to vote on the ballot and standing beside a voter while they fill it out. A good rule is that the voter does every step, and you only point.

What should you do in the last two weeks?

Make it a schedule and don't skip days. Early voting opens 14 days out, so your reminders start then, not on the weekend before. Put the work in order: supporters who haven't voted early first, then leaners, then a last push for anyone still open. Most of the work in these weeks is simple and repeated.

If a supporter's ballot shows as returned, take them off the list so no one bugs them. That's the best use of the absentee dates in the state's file.

Put your time where your voters are. Our campaign budget article shows where your dollars go in a small race, and a walk list costs almost nothing. Your own feet beat most things you can buy in this stretch.

What does election day look like for a campaign?

It looks like a small, busy shift schedule. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and anyone in line at 8 p.m. still gets to vote (Wis. Stat. § 6.78). Your jobs are to remind the people on your list who haven't voted, answer simple questions and stay out of the way at the polling place.

Here's a plan that fits a small campaign:

1. Morning: text or email your list with the poll hours and the place to vote. Keep it short and put the date in the first line.
2. Midday: knock or call the leaners and any supporter who told you they'd vote "later."
3. Late afternoon: the biggest push. People get off work, and a knock at 5 p.m. can still get a vote by 8.
4. At the polls: you can't hand out cards or talk about the race within 100 feet of the door on public property. Our palm card article has the details, and Wis. Stat. § 12.03 is the source.

Tell your voters to bring an ID, and tell them it's fine to ask a poll worker for help. A voter who feels lost at the table is a voter who may give up.

What can't a campaign do to get people to vote?

It can't give anything of value to push someone to vote. Wisconsin's election bribery law covers money and any object that's useful on its own and worth more than $1. It applies when it's given to get a person to go to the polls, vote, or vote a certain way. That's Wis. Stat. § 12.11. The line is low, so don't give anything away.

That means no gift cards, no free lunch for voters, no raffle for people who vote and no cash for anything. A campaign that thinks it's being friendly can still cross the line. If you want to do something nice for volunteers or voters, ask the Wisconsin Ethics Commission or a lawyer before you do it, and write down what they say.

The short list of other things to leave alone:

• Witnessing absentee ballots as a candidate, which costs you votes
• Electioneering inside 100 feet of a polling place door on public property while the polls are open
• Telling a voter how to mark a ballot or standing with them while they do
• Promising or pushing a voter to vote a certain way in return for something

The wording of laws is tricky, so please read the sections yourself. This is a plain-English overview, not legal advice, and a few rules have exceptions we've left out.

What does a close race teach about turnout?

It teaches that your known voters are your cheapest votes. In 2024, Doug Diny won the Wausau mayor race with 52%, beating the sitting mayor while being outspent. We worked on that race. You can't buy your way to every voter, but you can make sure the ones who like you vote. You can read more in the Wausau 2024 case study.

Here's what we've seen work best, and it's simple. Send a reminder to vote. A lot of people mean to vote. They meet you, they have a good talk with your team, and then life gets in the way and they forget the day before or the day of. So send a reminder the day before, and another one two days before. That one small step has helped more than anything else we've tried.

Here's what we've seen campaigns forget, and it costs them votes: they don't knock doors. If you don't knock doors, you won't win. People want to meet you and get a feel for who you are. Running for state assembly, state senate, city council or county board may not sound exciting, but voters care more once they've met you. An ad can help, but it can't do what a talk at the front door does. That's when they ask their questions and just have a conversation with you.

Pick your three dates tonight

Open a calendar and write three things down before you go to bed. First, the day registration closes. Second, the day early voting opens. Third, election day. Then count back from those and put one job on each week. A date you wrote down is a date you'll remember.

1. The registration deadline: the 3rd Wednesday before the election. Check your list against it.
2. Opening day for early voting: 14 days before. Your reminders start.
3. Election day: polls open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Have every shift filled.

This article is general information, not legal advice. Election rules change, and the clerk in your town may do some things its own way. Confirm what applies to your race with the Wisconsin Elections Commission and your clerk, and ask the Wisconsin Ethics Commission about anything that involves giving something to voters.

Want help building a plan for the last two weeks of your race? Our consulting team helps candidates from school board to Congress & governor. The first conversation is free.

Fact-checked October 14, 2026 against Wis. Stat. §§ 5.02, 6.28, 6.36, 6.55, 6.78, 6.79, 6.84, 6.86, 6.87, 12.03 and 12.11, and the Badger Voters page of the Wisconsin Elections Commission.