Polls for the general election are open until 8 p.m. to decide the city of Milwaukee's next mayor, the county's next executive and the district's next alderman, among other contests.

Students planning to vote today who registered before the Feb. 17 primary should bring proof of identification. Non-registered students can register today at their polling location.

During the primary, there was a mix-up at polling locations citywide. Of the 25,000 voters who registered on site, registration officials did not get identification numbers (driver's license or state identification numbers) for 4,500 people.

The Milwaukee Elections Commission notified these voters via mail, according to Julietta Henry, executive director of the commission. "These voters are registered, however they have to provide the ID number from either their Wisconsin driver's license or their state ID."

If an out-of-state student registered and does not have a Wisconsin ID, all they have to provide is the last four digits of their social security number. Students choosing this option only have to provide the digits, they do not have to show their social security card, Henry said.

Wisconsin's same-day registration statutes allow voters to register the day of a vote at their polling location, according to Karen Knutson, elections services manager for the Milwaukee Election Commission.

To qualify to vote, a student must be a resident of Wisconsin, which entails living in Wisconsin for 10 days prior to the vote, Knutson said.

If a student is not registered yet, but would like to register, the student must go to his or her polling place with proper identification to register.

A student cannot register and vote in two places. However, students registered out-of-state can still vote in Wisconsin by re-registering as a Wisconsin resident and filling out a card which cancels their previous registration in another state at the polling place, Henry said.

Registration requires sufficient proof of residency, such as a valid Wisconsin ID, a valid state driver's license or a recent — defined as issued within 90 days before the vote — gas, electricity, phone (cell phones included) or cable bill, Henry said.

Students living in residence halls, however, only have to provide a Marquette ID because of a deal between the Election Commission and the university, Henry said. For the primary election, Marquette gave the commission a list of all students living in the residence halls, so these students needed only their Marquette ID.

Henry said the commission would provide addresses again for the general election.