In-person balloting opens at 7 a.m.
Although many have already cast their votes via absentee ballots or early in-person voting, Tuesday represents the final chance for voters to have their say in the contentious, pandemic-tinged election of 2020.
Polls in all local communities will open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. All absentee ballots must be received by 8 p.m. Tuesday to be counted.
Topped by the presidential race pitting incumbent Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden, the ballot also includes several state Assembly races and one Walworth County race as well as several community- or school district-specific referendum questions.
With coronavirus casting a shadow over traditional in-person voting, some area clerks have predicted a record number of absentee ballots – ballots that will have to be counted on Nov. 3 along with those cast by in-person voters.
Polling places on Tuesday will have health safety precautions in place, according to the Wisconsin Elections Commission, as they did during the April and August elections conducted during the pandemic.
Readers who are new to the area or have not voted in years should contact the clerk in their municipality or visit myvote.wi.gov for information on voter registration, polling places and sample ballots.
The Town of Delavan has changed its polling place to Boxed and Burlap, 2935 State Road 67, Delavan. It’s across from Mercy Hospital near the intersection of highways 50 and 67. Early voting is available 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Oct. 29 and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Oct. 30. On Election Day the polls will be open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. The reason for the change is that the town’s Community Center is under construction.
The Town of LaFayette has changed its polling place to Evergreen Golf Course, N6246 Highway 12, Elkhorn, in an effort to provide more space for social distancing than the town hall. Absentee in-person voting is by appointment only at LaFayette Town Hall. For more information contact clerk Barb Fischer at 262-723-4321 or townoflafayette@gmail.com.
Who’s on the ballot?
In addition to the presidential race, area voters will have the chance to make a choice in the District 1 race for U.S. Congress. Republican Bryan Steil, of Janesville, is completing his first term and faces a challenge from Roger Polack, of Racine. Polack is a lawyer who worked as a civilian national security advisor in Washington during the Obama and Bush administrations.
All local voters will have the chance to cast ballots for their state Assembly representatives. The candidates, by district, are:
- 31st District (City of Elkhorn; villages of Fontana, Sharon, Williams Bay and Walworth; towns of Darien, Richmond, Sharon, Sugar Creek and Walworth) – Incumbent Amy Loudenbeck, R, Clinton vs. Elizabeth Lochner-Abel, D, Walworth.
- 32nd District (Cities of Delavan and Lake Geneva; villages of East Troy and Genoa City; towns of Bloomfield, Delavan, Geneva, Lafayette, Linn, Lyons, Spring Prairie and portions of the Town of East Troy) – Incumbent Tyler August, R, Lake Geneva, vs. Katherine Gaulke, D, Elkhorn.
- 33rd District (Villages of Eagle, Mukwonago and Palmyra, towns of Eagle, LaGrange, Mukwonago and Palmyra, and portions of the Town of East Troy) – Incumbent Cody Horlacher, R, Mukwonago, vs. Mason Becker, D, Fort Atkinson.
- 43rd District (City and Town of Whitewater) – Incumbent Don Vruwink, D, Milton, vs. Beth Drew, R, Milton.
- 83rd District (portions of the Town of East Troy) – Incumbent Chuck Wichgers, R, Muskego, vs. Alan DeYoung, D, Muskego. Voters in this district will also vote for a state Senate candidate to replace incumbent Dave Craig in the 28th Senate District. Craig did not seek re-election. The candidates are Adam Murphy, D, Franklin, and Julian Bradley, R, Franklin.
In the lone Walworth County race, incumbent Register of Deeds Cairie Virrueta, a Democrat, faces Republican Michele Jacobs. A story on the Register of Deeds race will post on this website Sunday, Nov. 1.
The list of uncontested county seats includes Republican officials who are seeking re-election: District Attorney Zeke Wiedenfeld; Clerk Kim Bushey; and Treasurer Valerie Etzel.
